Lies and Letters
by SweetDeamon
Summary: Teddy Lupin knows he shouldn't lie to his father, but sometimes he just can't help it. When Teddy finds a discarded letter that changes his view of his family, it's up to Remus to spot his lies and sort the problem out for good. AU. RLNT
1. The Pocket Watch

_Note: Hi there, this is a sequel to my story "Blood", however I use the term sequel very lightly, it can stand alone just fine, I only claim it is a sequel because some of the characters I introduced in Blood (eg. Chester and Orion) will make appearances. This story is AU, although I'm sure that is obvious already! Reviewers will be showered with thanks, because I adore reviews (who doesn't!) _

_Anyway, here goes…_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns it all._

**1: The Pocket Watch**

The sun shone though the gaps in the trees, casting shadows that danced across the leaf-clad ground of the wood, as the branches above swayed in the summer breeze. Birds sat contentedly in the greenery, singing their hearts out, undisturbed.

That was until the tranquil scene was ruined by the sound of pounding feet, and a male voice's cry of:

"Just you wait, I'll kill ya!"

As a number of birds took flight in alarm a younger boy was heard giggling mischievously.

As Teddy Lupin sprinted up the path, on the heels of a dark haired, dishevelled looking child, he wondered just what he had been thinking five minutes beforehand. What on earth had possessed him to agree to watch eight year old James Potter, whilst both James' and his own parents had a "little chat"? Teddy scowled as he recalled the expectant look that had been on his mother's face when she had asked him to watch the little devil. It had been the sort of look all parents learn to have, daring their offspring to disagree with them. No, Teddy realised begrudgingly as he caught James around the middle, causing them both to crash to the floor with a series of pained grunts, there had been no chance he would decline helping, not when Tonks had looked at him like that.

"Hand it over!" He snapped, trying to prise the child's hand open to get at the object hidden within.

"No!" James screeched, his face red with effort as he tried to keep hold of his stolen prize. "It's mine!"

"It's my dad's!" Teddy corrected angrily, leaning on James' legs to stop him wriggling away. "He'll be mad with me if you break it!" This was of course a lie, the pocket watch that James clung to as if he life depended on it could easily be fixed, but Teddy was getting desperate.

"You're hurting!" James whimpered as the older boy's legs crushed his own.

"Well hand it over then!" Teddy insisted.

"No-ooo!"

And with that James drew back his arm and threw the watch into the air. It seemed to fly in slow motion as Teddy watched it go in horror, before disappearing into the thick mass of bushes beside the path..

As James' giggling rung in his ears Teddy felt simply mortified.  
"This is not some silly game, James!" He cried, "that watch isn't just some toy, you can't just throw it away like that! My dad's had that since he came of age!"

James, on the other hand, seemed perfectly unaffected by what Teddy seemed to think was a major tragedy.

"You can just summon it back." He pointed out cheerfully, as Teddy released him and got miserably to his feet.

"Summon….?! I'm under age, you stupid little…" Teddy cut short his chosen insult as he heard footsteps coming up the path behind them.

"Playing nicely, I see."

Teddy pulled James hastily to his feet and turned to smile innocently at his father, who had come to a halt a few meters behind them, looking apprehensively at the pair.

"Yeah, Dad, we are!" Teddy agreed, brushing the dirt from James' back. "James just fell, that's all."

Remus _hmm_ed disbelievingly, but said nothing.

"Just get Remus to do it!" James piped up, grinning at his clear genius.

But Teddy struggled not to scowl at the idea. He couldn't possibly tell Remus what had happened to his pocket watch. If he did, Remus would tell the other adults and they would think he was irresponsible for letting James get hold of it in the first place. He would look stupid.

"Get me to do what?" Remus asked, hands shoved in his pockets, eyebrow raised in question.

James opened his mouth to explain just what, but Teddy quickly interrupted him.

"Don't be silly, James." He said with a chuckle, swatting the boy playfully on the shoulder. "My dad hasn't played Quidditch for at least a hundred years. He's much too old. We'll get your dad to come play later. Let's think of something else to play for now." He stared back at his father, trying to ignore the distinct feeling he had that Remus could spot any lie he told from a mile off.

"Whatever you do, try and keep the noise down. Your mother seems to think there's a band of banshees running through the woods with the noise the two of you are making." Remus told them.

"Teddy screams like a girl." James told the werewolf knowingly. "He does, he goes…." A high pitch scream filled the air and Teddy immediately covered his hands with his ears. As usual Remus did not so much as flinch at the sudden sound, in fact he looked mildly impressed by it.

"That's quite a pair of lungs you have there, James." He said with a smile, when the noise finally stopped.

Teddy scowled. How on earth anybody could smile at such an infuriating boy was beyond him. He'd like to think that if Remus knew what James had done to his watch, he wouldn't smile, but if he was honest, Teddy doubted the smile would waver even then. His disgust must have shown on his face for Remus asked:

"Are you okay, Teddy?"

Again Teddy thought of telling Remus about the watch, but he still decided against it. Instead he smiled and nodded.

"Everything's fine Dad." He said.

"Well then, I'll be going. Remember, keep the noise down."

I gotta find that watch, Teddy decided as he watched his father retreat back up the path. But his resolve was interrupted by James.

"Let's play Werewolf!" He cried eagerly, hopping from foot to foot in excitement.

Teddy groaned as Remus disappeared around the corner. He had always thought it odd that it was his father who had invented the werewolf game, because when he thought about it now he was older, he thought it was a game of poor taste. He had told Remus this once, but his father had simply laughed and told him it was just a child's game, not to be taken seriously. Tonks had said they had played it with him as a little boy to "keep things light-hearted".

"You're werewolf!" James announced, and when Teddy finally threw his head back and pretended to howl, he turned and ran off further into the woods. Teddy gave chase, deciding that he would just have to look for the watch later. It was hard enough keeping James under control, let alone worrying about the watch at the same time.


	2. The Letters

_Note: Okay, so this story's a bit slow starting, but bear with me!_

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related things belong to J K Rowling, I do not own anything at all._

**2: The Letters**

To Teddy's deepest disappointment he did not find himself standing at the front door of his house with his parents waving goodbye to the Potters until late that evening. Remus had retreated to the living room and settled in a chair to read, and Tonks had told him that he ought to go to bed, they would be up early in the morning to visit his grandmother.

"Get that mud off your shoes, else Gran will go crazy if you turn up in them!" Tonks called after him as he headed up the stairs.

They went to Andromeda's house for Sunday dinner every week and Teddy always looked forward to it. His grandmother was an excellent cook, she could rival Molly Weasley with her roast potatoes. But as Teddy kicked off his shoes, spraying the carpet of his room with mud, he couldn't help but dread the morning. For, knowing full well Andromeda's regal tendencies, the Lupins would wear their best clothes when going round for dinner. Remus always wore his pocket watch. But when he woke up this Sunday morning, it would not be there. He would find out it was lost. Teddy grimaced at the very idea that he should have to admit what had happened that afternoon, and pledged that somehow he would ensure that Remus would wake up to find the watch exactly where he had left it.

Which was how he found himself still awake when Tonks stuck her head round the door and whispered goodnight to what she assumed was her sleeping son. She blew a kiss and then the door closed again. Teddy stayed awake for another half an hour until he heard his father coming up the stairs. Remus opened the door, managing to be much quieter than his wife, and crept into the dark room. Teddy watched him through slit eyes as he stooped to pick up the discarded shoes and draw out his wand, clearing the mud away with a muttered _scourgify_. Once the shoes had been set down neatly at the bottom of the bed Remus crept back to the door.

"Goodnight Teddy." He said, making no effort to be quiet. "Get to sleep, it's very late."

Teddy opened his eyes properly and frowned over at his father's silhouette against the light of the landing beyond.

"How'd you know I was awake?"

Remus merely shrugged.

"Get to sleep." He repeated, before closing the door behind him.

Teddy waited a further fifteen minutes before climbing out of bed, pulling on his now squeaky clean shoes and donning a thick jumper over his pyjamas. He proceeded to creep across the landing and down the stair to the back door.

The back garden of the Lupins' cottage was small, but an old gate gave access to the woods beyond, though Teddy wondered if the gate had disappeared for it was difficult to find it in the dark. He stumbled along the fence searchingly, running his hand along the rough wood of the fence. He winced and withdrew quickly as a pain shot through his finger. He squinted at the splinter which had embedded itself in his skin, but could see nothing in the dark and was forced to continue despite the throbbing. Eventually he found the gate and it opened with a begrudging groan. Teddy set off down the path into the woods. It was harder still to see once under the cover of the trees and when he reached the spot where James had thrown the pocket watch he wondered how on earth he would find it. Still he was determined, and began to grope blindly around in the bushes, the twigs scratching at his hands. After fifteen minutes he began to give up hope of ever finding it, until his fingers suddenly met something smooth and cold. Teddy snatched up the watch in triumph, and shoved it into his pocket. It was much too cold to hang around, so he began to wade through the bushes back towards the path. It was then that he heard something crumpling under his foot, and he was sure it was not the leaves. Curious he stooped and felt around to find the source of the noise. His hand closed around a ball of scrunched up paper. Teddy peered at it, and wished for some light so that he could see it clearly. He put the paper in his pocket too and set off home at a fast pace.

When Teddy headed down to breakfast the next morning he was greeted by the smell of fried bacon. He padded across the room and sat at the table beside his mother, yawning widely.

"We're looking very sprightly this morning!" Tonks teased, as she put down the morning paper and reached for her coffee.

Teddy merely grunted in reply as his breakfast was set down on the table in front of him. He began to hurriedly shovel food into his mouth.

"Nobody told me it was a race." Remus said as he took a seat opposite his son. "Why the rush?"

Teddy shrugged the question off as he finished off the bacon and began to guzzle orange juice.

"You seen this?" Tonks asked her husband through a mouthful of fried egg, pointing at the newspaper. Teddy was saved any further questions as his father ;leant forward to examine it.

Within minutes he had finished his food and had hurried back upstairs to his room. Closing the door firmly behind him Teddy hurried over and snatched up the scrunched up paper he had found the night before. Lying on his front on his bed he carefully unfolded the paper excitedly, only to find the ball was made up of two scraps of paper. Choosing one to examine first he tried best to smooth it out as he looked down at it. He discovered that it was a letter, and at the top was the logo of St Mungo's hospital.

_Dear Mrs Lupin_, (Teddy read, squinting at the faded script).

_I write in response to your letter dated the 5__th__. From what you describe I can tell you with near certainty that you are in fact pregnant. I suggest that you make an appointment to see either myself or a member of the maternity unit team. It is important that we check that all is well with both yourself and the baby. Wishing you the very best, with congratulations to both you and Mr Lupin,_

_Agatha Hutchkins_

_Head Healer – Maternity Unit_

_St Mungo's Hospital_

Noting the date of the letter, some eight months before his birth Teddy felt an odd sense of excitement, yet questions arose in his mind. Why had his mother not thought to go straight o see a healer? And why had the letter been screwed up and thrown away? Surely Tonks should have treasured it? Feeling almost hurt that the letter had been so battered and discarded, Teddy reached for the other piece of paper. This too appeared to be a letter, yet only a small scrap remained, it appeared that this one had been torn up. Intrigued, Teddy found that he recognised his father's handwriting, though it was less neat than usual. Many words were hard to read for the ink had been smudged, as if droplets of water had disturbed the near lines and curves. Teddy slowly read the words, but with most of the letter torn away and lost, he could only make a little sense of it.

_My Dearest Dora,_

_The first thing I shall say…_

_sorry. I know that probably…_

_must understand, I am certain this…_

_best. You may feel saddened by…_

_but this was all a mistake. It…_

_should drag you down, but to do…_

_child? I cannot, and will not ruin…_

_You probably think I said this before…_

_the same. I don't want to bring…_

_this world, knowing that it had me…_

_I can't be a father Dora. You know that._

_why I must leave. It is best for…_

Teddy stopped and found himself staring at the words.

_I can't be a father, Dora. You know that._

_I must leave._

_This was all a mistake._

_I must leave._

_I can't be a father, Dora._

_A mistake._

A lump caught in Teddy's throat and he felt tears gathering in his eyes. Remus had thought he had been a mistake. He hadn't wanted him. He'd even left for a while…

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and Teddy hurriedly hid the papers under his pillow, desperately wiping away the tears as the doors of his room opened.

"Teddy?" Remus strode in to the room, book in one hand. He held it out for the boy to take with a smile. "I finished, you said you wanted to read…"

"No." Teddy heard himself reply quickly, shuffling back towards the wall. He had a mad urge to shout at his father to get out of his room, but managed to stop himself.

"Oh…" Remus withdrew his arm, frowning deeply. "Okay, well I'll leave it in the living room…if you change your mind."

Teddy said nothing, he simply stared. How could he have said he was a mistake?

"Are you okay, Teddy?" Remus asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Teddy replied, a little too quickly. But to his relief Remus merely frowned a little more and said:

"Well you best be getting dressed properly, we ought be leaving soon."

When the door had closed again and he could head Remus descending the stairs, Teddy let out a breath he had not realised he had been holding. He shook his head and got to his feet. Gazing at his reflection in the small mirror above the chest of draws opposite, he frowned.

"He doesn't think it was a mistake now." He told his reflection firmly. "He doesn't. He loves me." He tried a smile but it felt alien. His gaze fell to the pillow which concealed the letters and felt a sudden urge to cry again. He wished he could hide in his room forever, or run far, far away. Anything but go down to his father. Teddy couldn't help but feel deeply hurt. Betrayal stung him and before he knew it he was in tears again.


	3. Sunday Lunch

_Note: I haven't updated for ages, I'm sorry about that…..hectic life! Anyway, here goes…_

_This chapter is dedicated to Lee, as is everything I do._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**3: Sunday Lunch**

"Teddy, come along!" Tonks called for the fifth time. "You'll make us late! You know your Gran'll have lunch ready not a moment after noon! You want a stone cold roast?" When her son finally appeared and began to make his way noisily down the stairs she sighed heavily at the state of him. "I told you to clean those shoes up!" She cried, catching him by the shoulders and trying to smooth a crease in his shirt.

"M-_um_!" Teddy whined, pulling away from her. "We're going to Gran's, not a bloody wedding or something!"

"Language, Teddy." Both parents warned, causing the boy to shake his head.

"You say bloody all the time!" He complained, jabbing a finger in Tonks' direction.

"Get in the kitchen for Merlin's sake!" She told him, giving him a nudge. Teddy obeyed, taking little notice of her disapproving frown at his shoes. His mother was always like this when they went to his grandmother's house, as if there was always something to prove.

"What in Merlin's name has he been up to anyway, look at the state of them!" He heard his mutter to his father as they followed him towards the fireplace.

"I don't know," Remus muttered back. "I could have sworn I cleaned them myself last night…"

Teddy cleared his throat meaningfully and took a handful of floo powder. He stepped into the fireplace, and, ignoring the frowns on both parents' faces spoke his destination, disappearing in a roar of emerald flames.

"Can you pass me the gravy, Teddy?"

Teddy slowly looked up from the sprouts which he had been staring at for the past five minutes to look at his father.

"Huh?"

As Remus repeated his request, Teddy stared at the werewolf straight in the eyes. They were a warm chocolate brown, kind and caring. Teddy found himself wondering just how Remus had been so cold all those years ago, how he had abandoned Tonks when she was pregnant, how he had abandoned _him_.

"Teddy?" He was snapped from his thoughts to find all three adults who were sat around the table staring at him.

"Um…" He mumbled, feeling himself blush.

"Oh honestly! I'll do it!" Andromeda announced, and with that she seized the gravy boat and passed it over to Remus. "Honestly, teenagers, heads up in the clouds, the lot of them. You were just the same, Nymphadora, I remember one time…"

Teddy did not bother to hear the rest of what his grandmother said, for he had returned to staring at the sprouts. After a minute or so he had the feeling that he was being watched and he glanced up to find Remus looking at him. He looked concerned. He hadn't been back then though, Teddy thought, stabbing a potato and shoving it into his mouth.

"Really?" Andromeda was saying, as she poured herself another glass of wine. "I suppose those boys must wear poor Ginny out as it is, to think they're having a third!"

"Maybe they want a girl." Tonks mused, accepting the bottle from her mother. "I mean it'd be nice if you had at least one of each, don't you think Remus?"

Remus finally looked away from Teddy and shrugged.

"I suppose." He agreed, ignoring Tonks' sly wink, even when she giggled.

Usually Teddy would have attempted to hide behind a chair at such a comment, but he could not help but notice how dismissive Remus had been.

The subject was swiftly changed, yet Teddy lingered over it, and the more he thought about the letters that were hidden in his pillowcase in his bedroom back home the more he wished he could leave the room. How could his parents sit here acting so normal? How could Remus even look at him? As soon as Andromeda had cleared the plates away he jumped to his feet.

"Please may I be excused?" He asked, before hurrying towards the living room door, not waiting for an answer.

"Of course you can." Remus replied somewhat too late as the door shut behind the young metamorphmagus. The two women joined him staring at the closed door.

"Something's not right with that boy today." Andromeda said knowingly.

Remus and Tonks both nodded in agreement.

"He's been acting strangely all day." Remus told them, leaning back in his chair and drumming his fingers on the table thoughtfully. "I don't know what I've done wrong…"

"What makes you think you did anything? It could be anything, you know children, they make a fuss over the strangest of things." Andromeda interrupted, waving a dismissive hand.

"It's me." Remus insisted quietly, his gaze dropping to his lap. "I can tell." As Tonks' hand came to rest on his arm he looked up at her. "I went to give him that book he wanted to read the other day, you know how he'd pestered me every ten minutes to see if I'd finished it yet? I went to give it to him and you'd think I was trying to hand him the Monster Book of Monsters, he backed right up to the wall and told me he didn't want it. He looks at me so strangely…"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Andromeda cried, getting to her feet. "Maybe he's just not looking forward to going back to school, there's not much time left."

"Teddy likes school, Mum." Tonks told her somewhat warningly before turning her attention back to her husband. "We'll have a chat with him. I'm sure it's nothing." She assured him, giving his arm a squeeze.

Teddy sat in an armchair listening to the familiar sounds of his parents clearing up the kitchen. The door opened and his grandmother entered and took a seat in the chair opposite him.

"Here, Teddy." She said with a smile, reaching for a small box on the chest of draws beside her. "I have a little something for you."

Teddy got to his feet and came to stand beside her chair. She opened the box with a flick of her wand and reached inside, drawing out a small handful of golden coins. "You'll be wanting plenty of this for your Hogsmead weekends now you're a third year!" She said cheerfully, handing them over.

Teddy smiled. He had been looking forward to being able to go on Hogsmead visits ever since he first heard of them in his first year.

"Thanks Gran!" He said, giving her a firm one-armed hug. "I can't wait, Hogsmead's gonna be great!"

"You stay clear of that Zonko's, mind you." Andromeda advised as she hugged him back. "Junk, the lot of it. Don't you go wasting good gold on that."

"Nah, I don't need any of that." He agreed, crossing his fingers. Of course no teenager could possibly not be lured into Zonko's joke shop, but he would pretend if it made her happy. Not that he thought she truly believed him, she was much too sharp.

After pocketing the coins which made a cheerful jingling noise as he walked Teddy sat back down. Andromeda sat studying the rings on her fingers for a moment before Teddy chose to speak.

"Gran?"

"Yes, Teddy?" She looked up at him. He sat curled up in the chair, hands twisting awkwardly in his lap.

"Does my Dad love my Mum a lot?" He asked, biting his lip a little as he looked up at her. She stared at him, a deep frown creasing her aristocratic features.

"Why of course he does!" She exclaimed. "Why on earth would you think otherwise?"

Teddy shrugged and wrapped his arms tightly around his knees which he had drawn up to his chin.

She sighed heavily and clasped her hands together in a business-like manner.

"You know, Teddy, it's not an easy thing, being married." She told him wisely. "Sometimes you argue, I used to argue with your grandfather all the time, especially when your mother was your age, she caused us so much bother! But just because they argue, doesn't mean they don't love one another…have they been arguing?"

As laughter drifted through from the kitchen Teddy shook his head. It was true, his parents rarely argued about anything serious at all.

Andromeda _hmm_ed, and Teddy had a sudden urge to flinch, for this reminded him strongly of his father.

"I don't know what you've heard, or seen, Teddy." She said. "But your father loves your mother more than anything…"

"More than me?"

"I'm sure he loves you both the same."

"Has he always loved us?"

Andromeda looked thoughtful again before a strange smile appeared on her face, Teddy could not be sure what was so strange about it.

"Of course he has." She said rather slowly, making a lump form in Teddy's throat. He had never heard Andromeda sound unsure of anything before, he could only assume that she was lying. Muttering an excuse he got up and hurried upstairs to his mother's old room, where he stayed for over an hour before Tonks called him downstairs so that they could head home.


	4. Black and White

_Note: Thanks to those of you who left me reviews! _

_Both Blood and Lies and Letters are listed under the community Save The Lupins! I suggest you go look at the stories there, they're all good!_

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J K Rowling, I do not own nothing._

**4: Black and White**

Two days later, the evening before Teddy would return to Hogwarts for his third year, neither his mother or his father had tried to coax any explanations for his behaviour out of him, for both had been much too busy. Tonks had found herself stuck at the Ministry as reports came in of sightings of a long-searched for criminal. Teddy found that he practically had the house to himself for Remus would stay in his study for hours finalizing lesson plans for the coming year. He was in his study that very evening, whilst Tonks made dinner and Teddy packed his trunk ready for the morning.

Teddy looked around his room, trying to spot anything that he had forgotten to pack. His eyes came to rest on his pillow which hid the letters and, not for the first time, he wandered over and pulled them out to examine. At the sound of his father coughing from the room next door, Teddy decided that he could wait no longer. He had to ask about the letters. Still not comfortable asking his father, he decided that he would ask Tonks instead. With that, he marched downstairs with the letters in his hand and entered the kitchen, closing the door firmly behind him as if to ensure his mother had no chance of escape.

"All packed, Teddy?" Tonks asked, as she stood over a bubbling saucepan, wand raised somewhat uncertainly.

"Yes." Teddy told her, and at his blunt tone she looked round at him. Before she could say anything Teddy held out the letters. "I was wondering, Mum, can you tell me about these?" He asked, forcing himself to sound calm, for being calm had become increasingly difficult recently.

"What're those?" Tonks asked him, her voice suddenly quiet. She did not reach to take them and so Teddy stepped forward and pressed them into her hand. Reluctantly, she took them, but almost as soon as she had glanced down at them she let out a gasp and there came a rustling noise as the letters were scrunched up by her fist.

"Oh Merlin!" She squeaked, her eyes screwed shut. She drew in a large breath before shouting for her husband. "Remus!! Get down here _right_ now!!" She shrieked, dropping her wand so that she could grip the counter behind her as if she feared falling over.

At the sound of thundering footsteps as his father bolted down the stairs, Teddy swallowed hard. Clearly he should have given this all a bit more thought, he hadn't meant to get a reaction like _this_.

The door flew open behind him and Remus came to an abrupt halt in the doorway.

"What's wrong?" He asked, slightly breathless. He observed his son standing with his shoulders hunched and his wife trembling with tears slowly running down her face. Uncertain fear suddenly gripped him as he forced himself to walk to Tonks' side and put an arm around her. "What's wrong?" He asked again, voice dropped to a whisper.

To both his, and his son's surprise Tonks stepped sharply away from him and gave him a hard shove on the shoulder.

"He found your bloody letter!" She cried throwing the crumpled paper on the floor, as he stumbled slightly in surprise.

"My…letter?" Remus asked, positively baffled. But Tonks merely burst into hysterical sobs, inching back towards her husband uncertainly as if she was unsure whether to run from him in disgust or throw her arms around him in despair.

Teddy backed away slightly as he observed Remus stoop to pick up the letters, slowly unfold them and examine them, the colour draining from his face as he did so. He slowly looked up at Tonks, looking positively terrified, but when he spoke he sounded his usual embodiment of calm.

"You told me you threw them away." He told her.

"I did! I…I did, I…I went out into the woods that night, and…and I…I threw them away!" She whimpered, and Teddy's stomach gave a jolt as Remus rounded on him. But to his relief the werewolf continued to sound perfectly calm.

"And so you found these out in the woods, Teddy?" He asked.

Teddy gave a tiny nod, eyes downcast.

"Right." Remus nodded as if things were now clear enough, and with that he scrunched the letters up once again, strode over to the fireplace and threw the paper into the flames, watching them consume it with a relieved sigh as if that was the end of the problem. But when he turned back around he looked terrified once again.

"For Merlin's sake, Dora!" He cried, the façade beginning to break as he ran a hand through his greying hair in panic. "Why on earth didn't you get rid of it properly?!"

"Why on earth did you even write it?!" She snapped back furiously.

"You know why! You know exactly why! Don't you ask me to explain when you already know…it's hard enough knowing I did all of that, so don't make it worse for me!"

"Well somebody's going to be asking, aren't they?!"

"I don't need you joining in though, do I?!"

As their voices rose to shouts Teddy turned and ran from the room, up the stairs and into his bedroom, whereupon he buried himself under his duvet in the hope of drowning out their voices. He could still hear them, and so he clamped his hands over his ears and hummed loudly. Remus and Tonks argued so rarely that Teddy found it positively shocking, and he could recall no time that they had shouted like this. Tonks once told him that she had spent long enough arguing with his father back before they were married, and that she wouldn't waste any more time doing so now.

Fifteen minutes later Teddy removed his now aching hands from his ears and listened. The raised voices had stopped. He waited a further ten minutes before creeping back downstairs. The kitchen was empty, but from the soft murmured talk coming from the living room Teddy knew that things had clearly calmed down. He slowly poked his head around the door. Remus was sitting on the sofa, Tonks curled up next to him, her arms tightly hugging his arm and her head resting on his shoulder.

"It was bound to happen sometime, somebody would have let it slip or hinted." Remus was saying, once again perfectly calm as he reached up with his free hand to twirl a strand of her pink hair around his finger.

"Yeah, I guess so." Tonks agreed quietly. She sighed heavily and attempted to shuffle closer to him. "Merlin, and I thought that talk about the birds and the bees was bad!"

Remus chuckled at the memory.

"I think you did a good job that time." He assured her, attempting to flatten her now dishevelled hair.

"I dunno, I think I scarred him for life, I mean look at him…you know, when he gets all squeamish if we do stuff?"

He looked down at her with a somewhat roguish smile, one eyebrow arched. Leaning closer he asked:  
"What stuff is that?"

Tonks dissolved into giggles and from his position out in the hallway Teddy hastily backed away from the door, not wanting to risk see any "stuff". Why he had to have parents who acted like a pair of hormonal teenagers at any opportunity they could grab was beyond him. Had they not been at each other's throats just minutes beforehand anyway? Parents just didn't make sense sometimes.

There came a loud crash from the other room and Teddy's curiosity got the better of him. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, to find his mother lying sprawled on the floor, having knocked over the lamp that had stood on the cabinet beside the sofa. She was laughing hysterically as Remus got awkwardly up from his position sprawled on the sofa to reach and help her to her feet.

"You weren't supposed to bloody drop me!" Tonks cried through her laughter as he hauled her to her feet.

"No, Dora, _you_ weren't supposed to _jump_ on me like that!" Remus corrected, holding her steady with one hand and drawing out his wand in the other. He levitated the lamp back onto the cabinet and muttered "_reparo_!"

"I did not _jump_ on you, that was _not_ jumping! I'll show you jumping, Lupin, just you wait and…"

Remus cleared his throat meaningfully as he spied his son standing by the door, looking deeply bemused. To the boy's further disgust when Tonks turned to look at him, she simply burst into laughter again.

"Go and sit at the table, it's time for dinner." Remus told her soberly, and at a second glance at Teddy, Tonks too suddenly fixed a serious expression upon her heart-shaped face and marched off into the kitchen.

"You guys are weird." Teddy told his father, folding his arms across his chest. "One moment I reckon you'll come upstairs and announce you're getting a divorce, the next I think you'll come up and ask me how I'd feel about not being an only child, then you look like somebody died…!"

"Love is not black and white, Teddy." Remus told him acutely, steering the boy towards the kitchen with a hand on his shoulder. "Always make sure that you remember that."

A/N: Please let me know what you think of this chapter, because I'm not all that sure about it! Thanks )


	5. Tears

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does, I do not own anything._

**5: Tears**

Dinner was a horribly quiet affair. For once in her life Tonks was silent, she sat looking from Remus to Teddy, then back to Remus as if wondering who would speak first. Neither did. Teddy no longer wished to know anything, for he dreaded another argument breaking out. Remus knew that he would have to say something eventually, but as he took his time eating his food he had no idea what that something was.

Teddy bolted down his food and announced that he was going to bed.

"Night Mum!" He added hastily as he hurried past her, planting a clumsy kiss on her cheek before hurrying away upstairs.

"It's seven thirty." Tonks observed quietly.

Remus said nothing, instead he got to his feet and slowly followed his son out of the room.

As Teddy dived into bed, fully clothed and desperate for the day to end there came a knock at the door.

"Trying to sleep!" He yelled, pulling the duvet up to his chin and closing his eyes as if to demonstrate this to himself.

"Of course you are." Came the disbelieving voice from behind the door, and without any invitation from the boy Remus pushed it open and strode into the room.

"I'm tired, Dad, I wanna go to sleep!" Teddy insisted, opening his eyes to see his father close the door and come to perch on the edge of the bed.

"It's seven thirty in the evening, Theodore Lupin, you are not in the _least_ bit tired." Remus said briskly, and for a moment Teddy wondered if the werewolf had managed to plan some sort of speech over dinner, but there then followed a long silence and Remus did nothing but fidget. It was strange, Teddy thought as he observed this, his father rarely seemed unsure of anything. He always knew what to say. It was Tonks who got tongue-tied and awkward. After a minute or so Teddy no longer sat and watched in interest, he became impatient and his misgivings about his father returned with vengeance. How could he even sit there knowing what he had done?! He hadn't even wanted Teddy, why should he care to try and explain?! Had he ever truly changed his mind? Tonks had always said he was a "noble prat", did that mean he had only come back because he felt he had to? Perhaps that had been why he had married Tonks in the first place. A odd urge to be scathing filled the child as he lay glowering at the side of his father's head.

"Is that why you got married?" He asked, thinking aloud, making Remus finally shoot him a questioning look. "You didn't really want to, it was just a bit of fun or something, but you felt like you had to marry Mum 'cos you knocked her up and…"

"Absolutely not!" Remus interrupted sharply, looking positively outraged at the suggestion. "Merlin, Teddy, how on earth could you refer to it like that?!" His hands balled into fists and his face contorted in disgust. "We're your _parents_, what sort of…." At the blank stare that his son presented him with he took a deep breath before speaking through clenched teeth. Clearly he could not quite believe he was having such a conversation with his young son. "I married your mother because I love her very much." He told the child. "You were not….in the picture….until after we were married." He nodded to himself as if assuring himself that he had said the right thing.

"Right…but you still decided to bugger off when she told you about me?" Teddy pressed. He waited to be scolded for his use of language again but Remus seemed not to notice.

"Well…I…I didn't…I didn't just leave, I thought about it really hard…"

"Is that supposed to make it all better?"

"No. No, not at all." Remus sighed heavily and turned to look at the boy, and Teddy was alarmed to find there were tears in his eyes. Teddy suddenly felt bad about what he had said, as he recalled what Remus had told him just before dinner.

Love was not black and white.

Teddy was about to attempt to apologize, but Remus spoke before he had the chance.

"It was a terrible, terrible mistake, Teddy, and if I could take it back, I would…your mother has never quite forgiven me. We just…pretend it didn't happen, I suppose. But I love you both more than anything in this world, I always have done, so don't you ever think otherwise, not even for a second."

Teddy sat up in bed and shifted up until he was sat close enough to lean his head on his father's shoulder.

"So why'd you do it?" He whispered, finding himself more confused than before.

Remus clasped his hands together in his lap and stared at the floor.

"It's…difficult, Teddy." He admitted. "I…thought it was for the best, at the time."

"Why?" Teddy asked, and Remus sighed once again and ran a hand through his greying hair.

"If I were to explain, you'd think it ridiculous…but they were difficult times, Teddy, so very different from now." He put a loose arm around the boy, but Teddy found little comfort in it. "That's no answer, I know." He admitted. "But I worry if I just…just try and explain right now…it won't come out right…I can't get this wrong, Teddy. I can't. I will show you soon enough, I promise."

And with that he hastily wiped the tears from his eyes and got to his feet.

Teddy allowed himself to be tucked in, as he had been as a little boy, and kissed his father goodnight. As the door closed behind his father, Teddy wondered just what he had meant by "showing" him. But he did not wonder for long, for he soon fell asleep.


	6. Aboard The Hogwarts Express

_Note: Sorry for the lack of updates everybody, busy busy…!_

_This is rather a filler-chapter! I'm sorry if it bores you!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does. I own nothing at all._

**6: Aboard the Hogwarts Express**

The train ride from Platform 9 ¾ to Hogsmead Station was usually something that excited Teddy greatly, for it was a chance to catch up with his best friend Chester and blow vast amounts of his pocket money on sweets from the lunch trolley. But this year he bought a single liquorish wand and sat twirling it around his fingers silently, watching Chester eagerly tear open a box of Every Flavoured Beans.

As he selected an alarmingly bright green bean and eyed it suspiciously, Chester continued to tell Teddy all about his summer holiday, oblivious to the other boy's sombre mood.

"…so then my dad had to go all the way back to the hotel to try and get it back, my mum says he'd loose his head if it weren't attached to his neck! They rowed right the way to the train…"

Teddy paused in his twirling to look up at his fellow Gryffindor.

"Do they do that often, your parents?" He asked.

Chester threw the bean up into the air and smartly caught it in his mouth, looking smug at the manoeuvre.

"Do what much?" He asked as he chewed noisily on the sweet.

"Argue and stuff." Teddy clarified, his expression deadly serious.

"Nah, not all that much. Just as much as everybody else, y'know?" Chester shrugged, selecting another bean and popping it into his mouth.

"Do they love each other, like _properly_ love each other?"

Chester chewed thoughtfully at this question, frowning as he swallowed.

"Properly love?" He repeated and Teddy nodded, listening hard. "I suppose so, Teddy mate, I mean they're married aren't they? You don't just marry somebody if you don't love them, that would be stupid." He put the box of beans to one side and studied the troubled look that appeared on his friend's face. "What's up, Teddy?" He asked.

Teddy shrugged dismissively, but his expression did not change.

"Nothing, was just asking." He mumbled, taking a bite out of his liquorish wand.

"Weird thing to ask about." Chester observed.

"So's you asking Victoire Weasley what flavour lipgloss she was wearing last year, but it didn't stop you."

"It was raspberry."

"I don't care what flavour it was, Ches! Point is, she thought you were a freak for saying it, but you still did."

Chester was silent for a moment as he thought this over. At last he nodded slowly.

"So why are you asking about my parents?"

At Teddy's silence things slowly seemed a little clearer to Chester.

"Your dad been rowing with your mum, Ted?" He asked quietly, suddenly more serious.

"Kinda." Teddy admitted, and, after Chester had frowned at him for long enough, he told his friend all about the letters.

"Wow," Chester said at last, looking strangely excited. "I can't believe you used the term "knocked up" in front of your DAD!"

"Shut up Ches, it's not bloody funny!" Teddy snapped, folding his arms across his chest defensively. He was about to berate his friend further as Chester sniggered uncontrollably, but it was then that their compartment door was slid open and a female voice interrupted.

"Oh, sorry, wrong compartment!" The voice said cheerfully.

Teddy and Chester looked up to see a second year Gryffindor girl with long silvery blonde hair standing in the doorway.

"Hi Victoire," Teddy greeted, and she graced him with a smile that was scarily similar to that of her mother, Fleur

"Hello Teddy, did you have a good summer?"

"It was awesome!" Teddy announced, although he was pretty sure that it had been the worst summer he had ever had. "What about you? Did you go to France again?"

"Yeah, I did." She told him, not sounding all that enthusiastic.

Teddy didn't blame her, he supposed he would get bored after going to the same place every summer for twelve years. He himself rarely went anywhere much in the holidays, as Head of Aurors his mother rarely got enough time off.

"Well, I was just looking for Emma and the others, so I'll be going." Victoire announced and with that she turned and stepped back out into the corridor. Poking her head around the door just before it had slid shut she gave Teddy one last gleaming smile. "See you around, Teddy-Bear!" And with that, she was gone.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Chester burst into hysterical laughter.

"Teddy-Bear?!" He cried, practically falling from his seat as he shook with laughter.

Teddy merely shrugged, not fazed by his friend's mocking at all. Victoire Weasley had been his friend for as long as he could remember and she had referred to him as Teddy-Bear for an equally long amount of time. It had never bothered him in the slightest, it was just a nickname given by a friend. It would appear however, from his uncontrollable laughter, that there was no use trying to explain this to Chester. Clearly such a concept was beyond him just now. Instead Teddy announced that they ought to change into their school uniform.


	7. Anger All Round

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**7: Anger All Round**

With Chester for company and classes and homework keeping him occupied, Teddy found that life seemed much more bearable once he was back at school. He found it easy to avoid his father most of the time and he wrote very few letters to his mother, preferring to hold both parents at arms length instead. He kept his head down at Duelling Club and even skipped it one week in favour of Quidditch practice. His absence did not go unnoticed by Remus, but the werewolf made an effort to appear oblivious to his son's decision. After all, he told himself firmly after retreating to his office to bury himself under copious amounts of marking, Teddy had his first match against Hufflepuff coming up and the Quidditch Cup meant a lot to him.

Predictably, Teddy found that Defence Against the Dark Arts which he had once looked forward to was now his least favourite lesson. He found concentrating nearly impossible and his parchment soon became a mass of doodles rather than notes. Despite Remus' obvious attempt to carry on regardless, Teddy squirmed under his gaze which always hinted at concern. After their talk at the end of the holidays Teddy couldn't help but feel deeply confused and as time went on he began to feel angry again. His perfect marks in Defence were beginning to suffer as a result, and so two weeks after their return to Hogwarts Teddy and Chester found themselves in a most unusual situation.

It was Monday morning and the third year Gryffindors were taking their seats along with the Slytherins in Professor Lupin's classroom. Teddy sat down beside Chester, who appeared to be dreading the lesson just as much as his friend. Teddy did not bother to ask why, however, for he knew all too well why Chester sat fidgeting so much, his eyes were fixed on a large stack of papers on the teacher's desk.

"Your essays." Remus announced as he turned his back on the blackboard and summoned the stack of papers which flew neatly into his outstretched hand. He proceeded to walk slowly down the rows of desks, handing out the essays with the occasional murmured comment of "very good Anna" or "not a bad effort James, but do read through it next time." His footsteps seemed amplified in the silent classroom and Chester fidgeted even more.

"He's so gonna give me detention!" He complained under his breath. "He said last week if I don't start handing him decent essays…" He trailed off into silence and fixed the desk in front of him with an intent stare as Remus came to a halt in front of the two boys.

"70, much better this time Chester." Remus said with a smile, placing Chester's essay on the desk. As Chester looked up at him, looking relieved Remus added: "Ten points to Gryffindor!" Chester positively beamed as Remus placed Teddy's essay down.

Teddy stared at the paper in front of him. In the top right corner in bold red ink was "30".

"Wait behind please Teddy." Remus told him, before handing a frizzy haired girl her essay with a small smile and returning to the front of the class.

"Merlin, see that?!" Chester asked in surprise as he too looked at Teddy's essay. "I beat a Lupin at Defence!"

"Shut up Ches!" Teddy snapped angrily, colour rising in his cheeks as he shoved the essay into his bag, causing it to crumple. Never had he received such a low mark! He could not help but feel furious about it. It hadn't been _that_ bad an essay, he was sure.

"I was just saying!" Chester said indignantly, being much more careful as he stored his essay away, as if it were the most precious thing on Earth. "Don't have to bite my head off! Just 'cause I did better than you for once!"

Teddy forced himself to mutter an apology, for he supposed he ought be pleased for his friend, but he continued to fume in silence. Remus began to tell them about Red Caps, but Teddy didn't hear a word. When the bell finally rang Teddy watched miserably as the room emptied, leaving him to watch Remus wipe the blackboard clean and tidy away the papers on his desk. At last the werewolf came to stand in front of his son, who stared at the desk in front of him, fiddling with a loose thread on his sleeve.

"Let's see that essay then." Remus told him, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

Teddy extracted the crumpled mess that was his essay from his bag and put it on the desk, without so much as looking up. Remus took it and attempted to smooth it out, looking at it thoughtfully. Eventually he sighed heavily.

"I don't need to go through this with you Teddy, we both know that." He said quietly.

The boy said nothing. He did not even look up when his father reached to examine his work from the lesson.

Looking down at the mass of scribbles and punctured holes that surrounded the meagre set of notes Remus sighed once again.

"What's happening, Teddy?" He asked, setting down the paper and fixing Teddy with a searching look. "I know things are…difficult just now, but…we'll sort everything out, you'll see." At the disbelieving look he was presented with he tried another angle. "Besides, these aren't the marks of a future Auror now are they?"

Begrudgingly Teddy nodded his agreement.

"Exactly. Now how about we make a deal? You go back to working hard in class and doing your homework properly, and I'll let you have a copy of my lesson notes so you're not behind and therefore liable to land in detention. What do you think?"

Teddy thought the proposal over and had to admit to himself that it was really rather generous on his father's part. He also had a very good point about becoming an Auror…

"Okay." He agreed, managing a weak smile. When his father offered him a hand he consented to shaking it.

"Excellent." Remus said, smiling too. "Drop by the office this afternoon, I'll get the notes for you." And with that he rose from the chair and Teddy hurriedly packed away his things and hurried from the room.

And so it was that Teddy found himself heading towards Remus' office after Potions that afternoon. As he reached the Entrance Hall however, he halted abruptly, for striding across the hall towards the marble staircase was somebody he had not expected to see. Apparently he was not the only person to be surprised.

"My goodness Tonks!" Came the voice of the Headmistress from the top of the stairs. "What brings the Head of Aurors to Hogwarts?"

Teddy's mother began to climb the stairs, her scarlet Auror robes billowing out behind her. Teddy noted that her hair was the same vibrant shade as her robes.

"Oh this has nothing to do with the Ministry, Minerva." Tonks explained as she came to a halt in front of the professor. "I need a word with Remus, I hope you don't mind me turning up like this…"

"Of course not!" Teddy heard the professor say and he saw her motion up the corridor. "I believe he is in his office."

"Thanks." Tonks said, and she headed off down the corridor.

Teddy slowly counted to ten before setting off after her, wondering why she had come to Hogwarts personally, usually she would send an owl or floo. Surely she should be working today? Then there was her hair, she never chose such a colour voluntarily, she claimed it clashed with her robes. She had to be angry, but why?

Questions ran through his head as he made his way to the office, where he paused outside. To his dismay he didn't need to listen up against the door, for the shouting from inside was so loud that he could hear it from the corridor.

"No way!!" He heard Tonks yell, the fury in her voice making the boy wince. "Absolutely not!! I've told you already, we're not showing him!!"

"We _are_ showing him!" He heard Remus argue back, and Teddy winced again. He had a sudden urge to run away, just as he had when his parents had shouted like this in the kitchen back at home.  
"We're bloody not! Merlin Remus, what kind of mother would I be?!" Tonks' voice drifted through the door once again.

"It's okay for you!" Remus retorted irately. "He doesn't hate you! He never thinks you don't love him! How on earth do you think that makes me feel? I can't even explain it to him! We have to show him!"

"He's not seeing it!" Tonks insisted, voice louder still. "We're _not_ having this conversation again, I'm _not_ going to change my mind! He's not seeing all that, he's our _son_, it'd be a disaster! I swear if I hear another word about it I'll curse you into next week, husband or not!!"

Teddy did not wait to hear what his father had to say about this threat, for he turned and ran back down the corridor as quickly as he could, clamping his hands over his ears as he went.


	8. Finding Dad

_Note: This chapter is dedicated to __**DragonDi**__ for such great reviews! Thank you!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns it all._

**8: Finding Dad**

A storm raged that night. Wind howled round the turrets of the castle and rain hammered at the windows. Up in Gryffindor Tower the students slept oblivious to it all, except one lonely third year who lay in bed listening to the storm outside. Teddy kept his eyes firmly closed. He would sleep soon, he was sure. But he did not, thoughts ran through his head spiralling out of control until the misery of them reduced the boy to tears. Huge salty tears that choked him, and he cried loudly, waking up the boy in the bed next to him.

"Teddy?" The curtains that had been so firmly drawn around his bed were pulled aside to reveal a startled looking Chester, who looked even more bemused when the sobbing boy cried:

"I want my dad!" He then sobbed harder still.

At the sound of another student stirring, Chester seized Teddy by the arm and wordlessly dragged him out of bed and to the door. Once down the stairs he deposited the now grey haired boy in an armchair.

"Snap out of it Teddy!" Chester demanded as Teddy let out another woeful wail. "You want to wake the whole tower?!"

Teddy shook his head and wiped his nose on his sleeve with a sniff.

"What's up then?" Chester asked, sitting down in another armchair with a yawn. "I never cried for my dad since I was six!" He waited for Teddy to snap at him to shut up, but to his surprise his friend seemed not to notice the comment.

"I just need to talk to my dad." Teddy insisted, tears still flowing freely down his cheeks.

"Why?"

The metamorphmagus shook his head, hands gripping the arms of the chair tightly.

"You wouldn't understand, Ches. I just gotta talk to him!"

There was silence for a long moment, punctured by the occasional sniff from Teddy. Chester looked thoughtful. At last he fixed Teddy with a serious look.

"Your dad still rowing with your mum, Ted?" He asked in the same quiet voice he had used on the train weeks beforehand.

For a brief moment Teddy looked embarrassed, but he soon nodded miserably.

"It's well weird." Chester told him, once again looking surprised. "I can't imagine Professor Lupin rowing with anybody. Or your mum. Surely the Head of Aurors doesn't have _time_ to row with people…" He trailed off at the less than impressed look Teddy had bestowed upon him. "Don't you worry Teddy." He told his friend, forcing himself to smile a little. "Parents row all the time, it's no big deal."

"Not like this they don't." Teddy insisted, drawing his knees up and hugging them to his chest. "She threatened to _curse_ him!" And with that he began to sob again.

"Wow! That's mental!" Chester exclaimed before he could stop himself. He bit his lip as streaks of white began to appear in Teddy's hair. Chester sighed deeply. "Look, Teddy, I'm sure it's not all that bad, I mean people say silly stuff when they are angry…" He trailed off as Teddy shook his head.

"I need to talk to my dad!" He insisted, and with that he got quickly to his feet.

"What, _now_?!" Chester simply stared as Teddy headed back towards their dormitory. "Mate, he'll be in bed back home, it's the middle of the night!"

"No he won't, he's patrolling the corridors tonight!" Teddy called over his shoulder as he disappeared up the spiral staircase. Chester hurried after him and when he reached the dormitory he found Teddy had pulled on his dressing gown and was busy ransacking his trunk. As Chester too put on his dressing gown Teddy found what he was looking for, a shabby-looking piece of parchment. Chester followed him back down the stairs and watched as he took out his wand, placing the tip at the centre of the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Teddy told the Marauders' Map, feeling rather proud as Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs' message appeared before him. Chester looked amazed, despite having seen the Map before. Teddy had let him in on this well kept secret in their second year, not long after Moony had presented his son with the Map. The two boys studied the corridors, searching for Remus. They spotted him walking slowly down the Charms corridor and so they set off, Teddy keeping a close eye on the Map to ensure they did not run into anybody else.

As Teddy consulted the Map when they paused outside of their Transfiguration classroom, a worrying thought occurred to Chester.

"Teddy?" He whispered, continuing to hold his lit wand aloft.

"Hm?"

"Don't you reckon Professor Lupin'll be a bit mad with us for being out of bed?"

Teddy shrugged, clearly unconcerned.

"I gotta talk to him Ches, I really must!"

"Sure, fine." Chester said hurriedly, for Teddy sounded to still be on the verge of tears again.

"We need to double back, quickly." Teddy told him, turning and setting back down the corridor at a much quicker pace. "Flitwick is coming!" He soon broke into a run with Chester just behind him. Once they had put some distance between themselves and the Charms professor they decided on a new route towards the Astronomy tower, which Remus now appeared to be heading towards. Chester hurried along in silence for a long while before Teddy halted abruptly.

"He's round there." He whispered, pointing at the end of the corridor.

True to Teddy's word they heard footsteps and Remus rounded the corner, looking distinctly bored. At the sight of the two boys however he straightened up somewhat and quickened his pace towards them. Before he could say a word however, Teddy had shoved the Marauders' Map into Chester's hand and hurried forward. Not caring what Chester thought of him, Teddy threw his arms around his father, who for once appeared startled, for he dropped his wand.

"What in Merlin's name is going on?!" Remus asked, prising his son off of him and stooping to retrieve the fallen object.

"It wasn't my idea, sir." Chester announced, deciding to make that clear as soon as possible.

Remus opened his mouth to scold the pair of them only to see that Teddy appeared to be crying.

"Get back to bed, Chester." He instructed sternly.

Chester turned to hurry back to Gryffindor Tower, glad that he appeared to have escaped punishment, but before he could go anywhere Remus had called for him to wait.

"Hand that map over."

Chester walked back, dragging his feet, and obediently gave the Map to the werewolf, who jabbed the centre of it with his wand and announced:

"Mischief managed."

The Map went blank.

As Chester hurried off, Teddy once again threw his arms around Remus, this time refusing to let go. Before Remus could question him, the now sobbing child drew back just enough to look up at his father.

"You're not going to leave her again, are you?!" He whimpered, staring intently through blurry eyes.

For a second Remus wondered if his legs would give way as he struggled to find his voice.

"Well I…I…_no_! Of course not! Why on earth would you think…?" He trailed off, frowning deeply.

"She said she'd _curse_ you!" Teddy blubbered, clinging on to his father's robes as if his life depended on it.

Remus was about to tell him not to be silly, of course Tonks wasn't going to curse him, before he realised that Teddy ought not know she had made such a threat.

"Where did you hear that?" He asked, feeling oddly nervous.

"I'm sure the whole bloody school heard, you guys were yelling loud enough!" Teddy told him, sounding suddenly rather angry.

Remus was not quite sure what to say to that, he felt mildly embarrassed. It was all Tonks' fault of course, he decided, but still…

"Office, armchairs, hot chocolate." He mumbled as Teddy finally let go of him, and with that they made their way in silence towards the Defence office.


	9. Hot Chocolate

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does. I do not own anything._

**9: Hot Chocolate**

From his position curled up on the faded armchair, Teddy wondered just how difficult making a cup of hot chocolate could be. His father did seem to be concentrating very hard on the task, a frown ever present on his tired face as he measured out cocoa powder with enough precision to suggest that he was in fact in a NEWT level Potions exam. Teddy watched in silence until a mug was offered to him. Remus drew out his wand and, thrusting his arm forward with more force than was probably necessary, muttered a spell which caused flames to leap into life in the fireplace. They danced and crackled cheerfully, yet the warm glow did nothing to lift Teddy's spirits. Remus sat down opposite him, the flames casting light on his face, which seemed to Teddy to be more lined than usual. His eyes lacked their usual Marauder-ish glint and heavy bags hung beneath them as if he had not slept well for a long while. Indeed Teddy saw his father in such a state often, just after the full moon, but the boy knew full well that that night would not be for a long while yet.

"Are you ill, Dad?" The boy asked quietly, peering through the gentle wisps of steam rising from the mug he held before him.

To his surprised the werewolf chuckled, though the sound hinted at bitterness.

"Your father is getting old, Theodore." He announced, sipping his hot chocolate.

"You're not that old." Teddy reasoned. "Gran's _old_."

Remus looked slightly disbelieving as he ran a finger round the rim of his mug absentmindedly.

"And Mum says you're only as old as you feel." The child persisted.

"Indeed…"

"And you're Moony, last of the infamous Marauders! You couldn't possible feel old!"

At the pride that was clear in Teddy's voice, Remus felt his spirits lift slightly. Clearly Teddy was not quite as disgusted by him as he had first thought. There was a long silence as both of them drank more hot chocolate, staring into the flames. Teddy recalled just why he was sitting there, and a terrible sense of dread filled him, until at last he looked back at Remus again.

"You and Mum aren't gonna split up then…?" He asked tentatively.

Remus reached and set his mug down on the desk to his right and leaned forward slightly in his chair, fixing his son with a stare. Teddy found himself holding his breath. After a pause that seemed to last an eternity to the boy, Remus spoke.

"What makes you think we would split up?" He asked, his stare unblinking.

"You yell at each other…a lot…" Teddy mumbled, eyes fixed on the stone floor. "Mum makes you mad, you make her cry…she cried loads in the kitchen that time." He sighed heavily. "I wish I never showed her those letters. Then you guys wouldn't get so mad…"

"Your mother lost her temper that day because of what _I_ have done, not you." Remus interrupted swiftly. "You have done nothing wrong, Teddy."

"Yeah, but if I hadn't have found them and asked, she'd not have been reminded of it, everything would have been just fine…"

"Just fine?"

To Teddy's surprised Remus laughed once again, yet it truly was a bitter laugh this time and it sent a shiver down the boy's spine.

"Things have not been _fine_ since that evening I left your mother." Remus ignored the simply mortified look that appeared on Teddy's face. "But we have carried on regardless, things are surely much better than they were and we chose to be happy with what we had. But I cannot change what happened, I cannot make your mother forget it, Teddy, but we stayed together back then and we will certainly stay together now. You have not made the situation worse, merely brought it out from the back of our minds. Merlin knows, you might just make it a little better." He sighed deeply and before Teddy could question this final rather cryptic comment the werewolf got to his feet and came to crouch in front of the boy, taking hold of his hand. "I am sorry that you do not understand, Teddy." He said softly as his son finally met his gaze. "I am so very sorry, but I will show you soon, I promise…"

"Mum doesn't want me to…._see_…does she?" Teddy asked slowly, watching for any hint of annoyance on Remus' face. He found none, however, for the expression on his father's face did not change.

"She is…not convinced…that you should see, no. She will come round though, I'm sure."

"And…what _will_ I see?" Teddy asked, hoping for some shred of a clue to help clear his confusion.

Remus opened his mouth to reply and paused, frowning slightly.

"Enough for you to understand." He said at last, smiling slightly as Teddy's brow creased in deeper confusion. "I can't tell you exactly what you will see, Teddy, not until I have your mother on side, at least. It would be…underhand of me." He squeezed Teddy's hand reassuringly. "But for now, just remember that I love you and your mother very much and we are not going to split up, she can curse me into oblivion if she so wishes, I will not love her any less." With that he got to his feet, pulling Teddy up after him. "Now, you ought be getting back to bed, it is incredibly late…"

Teddy put his mug down and gave his father a firm hug.

"Dad?" He mumbled into his father's robes.

"Yes?"

"I love you." Teddy drew back slightly and looked up into his father's eyes. "And…I know you love me, I never thought you didn't, not really."

Remus smiled down at him before giving him a sharp tap on the shoulder.

"Bed, Master Lupin." He instructed, stifling a yawn himself. "Before I fall asleep myself!" He followed his son out into the corridor. "I shall take you back to Gryffindor Tower, that way you can't wander off…

"I wouldn't wander off!"

"…and get caught by somebody else."

"You could just give me my map back." Teddy suggested hopefully.

"_Your_ map?" Remus asked incredulously, an eyebrow disappearing under his fringe.

"Aw, c'mon Moony!" His son cried, giving him his most pleading look. "You don't need it, let me "borrow" it again!"

"Hmm." Remus looked a little doubtful as he drew out his wand and muttered "_lumos_!" But to Teddy's delight as they set off down the corridor Remus pulled the Marauders' Map from the pocket of his robes and offered it to him. "Be sensible." The father warned as the boy pocketed the parchment with a grin.

Once he was tucked up in bed Teddy watched Remus return to his office, a small set of footprints and a name moving steadily across the parchment of the Map. Wiping the parchment blank and hiding it under his pillow, it occurred to Teddy that he was still none the wiser since talking to his father. Things seemed perhaps more confusing still. But as he drifted off to sleep Teddy decided that it didn't matter. Everything was going to turn out just fine. Remus had promised.


	10. Hogsmeade

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

**10: Hogsmeade**

Teddy Lupin had told a great number of lies to his father over the years. When he had accidentally set fire to his mother's best dress robes whilst playing with the wand she had left on the bedside table, he had blamed the incident on baby James Potter. He claimed to have eaten his vegetables after hiding them in paper towel under the table. He insisted that next door's cat inflating to the size of a small horse had nothing to do with him whatsoever, and he declared most weeks that he had not spent all of his pocket money on sweets with which to rot his teeth. They were obvious lies, both father and son knew that, and yet they did not matter. The father would raise an eyebrow, looking both disapproving and amused, and the child would shuffle his feet a little and smile. It did not matter much to Teddy that Remus saw straight through these lies. But, as his first trip to Hogsmeade approached, Teddy would soon find himself with a need to lie to Remus once again, this time _convincingly_.

The day dawned, bright but chilly. Teddy and Chester had risen early, got dressed, and practically skipped down to breakfast. Indeed, the two third years were excited to say the least. As he shoveled scrambled egg into his mouth and drained his cup of orange juice, not even Orion Lynch, his least favorite person in school, could spoil Teddy's mood.

"Gosh, you hungry, Lupin?!" The Slytherin called as he passed the Gryffindor table. "Must be, you're _wolfing_ that lot down!" Despite the laughter Teddy did not so much as look up. Clearly Orion was running out of decent jibes, for the Gryffindor was sure he had not heard such a pathetic taunt in his whole life.

"Leave it, Ches." He muttered automatically, for predictably Chester had reached for his wand.

"Aw, c'mon..." The boy complained, as Orion got away. "I could've got him..."

"We're in the middle of breakfast in the Great Hall with all but one teacher present! Don't be stupid!" Teddy cut in. "Besides, that was pathetic, he's not on good form today, is he?" He happily helped himself to a slice of toast.

Chester shrugged, not seeming all that convinced. Nothing ever did convince him though, Teddy recalled as he buttered his toast, for Chester would love to curse Orion at any opportunity he had.

"You got your slip, Ted?" Chester asked, pulling a strip of parchment from his pocket and waving it under Teddy's nose.

"Yeah," Teddy smiled, shoving his hand in his pocket to retrieve his Hogsmeade permission slip. The smile faded suddenly to be replaced by a look of horror as he found his pocket was empty. "Bugger, it was right here!" He cried, standing up abruptly and looking wildly around for any sign of the paper. "It's gone, Ches! I can't find it, it's fallen out my pocket! I won't be allowed to go...!"

Chester too stood up and began to look around on the floor for the missing paper.

"Don't worry, we can get your dad to write you a new one." He said, straightening up with a shrug.

"What if he doesn't show up in time?!" Teddy cried, throwing his hands up in irritation. "I'll be stuck here all day..."

At the sound of laughter from across the room he spun round, eyes falling on the Slytherin table where Orion Lynch sat with his friends, some pointing in his direction as they howled with laughter. Orion held his hands up to reveal a slip of paper, smirking triumphantly. He must have slipped it from Teddy's pocket as he passed, the Gryffindor realized miserably. As Orion slowly tore the parchment up in an incredibly mocking fashion Teddy felt his face warm with humiliation and his hair altered from turquoise to a violent shade of red.

"Now can I curse him?" Chester asked, glaring daggers at the laughing Slytherins.

It took all of Teddy's self control to tell Chester that no, he shouldn't curse Orion, else he'd be banned from Hogsmeade too.

"But we'll get our own back, right?" Chester insisted, pulling Teddy back into his seat before too many other students turned to stare at them.

"Yeah, we will." Teddy decided, then he sighed heavily. "My dad better turn up before everybody leaves for the village, else I'm screwed."

With fifteen minutes to go before the Hogwarts students left for Hogsmeade, Teddy and Chester stood outside Remus' office, ears pressed to the door hoping to heard the roaring of flames as Remus returned from home.

"Why did he have to pick today not to show up for breakfast?!" Teddy complained, aiming a hefty kick at the door in frustration.

"Maybe your mum cursed him bad enough that he's late..." Chester began teasingly.

"Shut up Chester!" Teddy snapped, this time aiming the kick at his friend's foot. As Chester let out a yelp of pain and Teddy found himself feeling rather satisfied they heard the distinctive sound of somebody exiting the floo network.

"Daaaaaad!" Teddy bellowed, hammering his fist on the door. When Remus finally opened the door Teddy let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Aren't you two supposed to be in Hogsmeade...?" Remus asked, only for Teddy to duck under his arm which held the door open and hurry over to his desk.

"Dad, quick!" The boy cried, pulling open draws in search of parchment. "You gotta write me a permission slip!!"  
"Calm down, Teddy." The professor instructed calmly as he slowly followed his son back into the room.

At this complete lack of urgency however, Teddy simply became even more agitated.

"Where the hell do you keep parchment?!" He cried, slamming the final draw closed and throwing his hands up in distress.

"_Theodore_..."

"Dad we have like ten minutes...!!"

"...As I recall, I have already signed a permission slip..."

Teddy faltered slightly at this statement and he tried best not to look embarrassed. He looked at his father evenly as he slowly said:

"I...lost it."

He attempted not to squirm as, as usual, an eyebrow disappeared under his father's fringe and the werewolf said:

"I see."

Despite himself a small smile crept onto Teddy's face as Remus retrieved a piece of parchment. It did not matter to Teddy that his father knew it was a lie. Teddy watched him take a seat behind the desk and reach for his quill. Dipping it carefully into the inkwell, Remus wrote out the permission slip.

_I, Remus Lupin, do hereby give permission for my son, Theodore Lupin, to visit Hogsmeade village at weekends._

"Have fun." He said, holding out the parchment, which Teddy practically snatched from his hand.

"Thanks, Dad!" The boy called over his shoulder as he and Chester ran from the room and off down the corridor.

Shaking his head slightly and smiling to himself, Remus checked his watch, before rising from his chair and leaving the office himself.

Teddy and Chester had immense fun that morning, thinking up evil plans for Orion inspired by the products in Zonko's Joke Shop, buying more than their own weights in sweets from Honeydukes, sniggering at the couples through the window of Madam Puddifoot's, and lounging around with drinks at the Three Broomsticks.

"What now?" Chester asked, as the pair finally left the pub.

A glance at his watch told Teddy that they had half an hour to kill before heading back to school.

"I know, how 'bout we go look at the Hog's Head?" He suggested cheerfully. "Loads of Order stuff went on there I think, Dumbledore's brother owns it, he's getting pretty old now but apparently he's really crazy. Mum said he keeps goats in his bedroom or something!"

"Goats?! Why?!"

As they set off towards the Hog's Head Teddy shrugged.

"I dunno," he admitted. "Mum looked like she wanted to laugh and started to say he was very fond of them, but before she could finish Dad made a weird coughing noise and suggested she go start dinner. It was strange."

"Why?"

"Well...we'd already had dinner..."

The Hog's Head did not seem to be the most inviting of places after all, it had grimy windows that looked as though they had not been cleaned...well..._ever_, and Teddy thought it smelt foul before he had even entered. He remembered being told that it was not the nicest of places, but he got the impression that standards had fallen even more since the days of the Order.

"I'm not going in there." Chester stated, nose wrinkling in disgust. "Are you seriously saying the Order had a base here...?!"

"Sort of..."

"Ew! Well I guess the smell was good for keeping Death Eaters out or something. It really is rank!" Chester gave his friend a small push towards the door. "I dare you to go in!" He cried, grinning somewhat wickedly

Teddy took a step back.

"I dunno that students should go in there, Ches." He told Chester seriously. "I mean...I just don't think it's the right sort of place..."

"I dare you to morph into a seventh year and go in there!" Chester challenged, and despite shaking his head Teddy couldn't help but be curious about the shabby old pub. After a long pause he sighed heavily.

"Alright, I'll do it." He decided, causing Chester to clap his hands together in glee.

And so a tall, dark haired, seventh year Gryffindor boy wearing short robes and trousers that left his ankles bare entered the Hog's Head Inn, took a seat close to the door and observed the assortment of shifty-looking patrons as they sat sipping drinks from dirty glasses. It was not anything like as interesting as Teddy had first thought, in fact it was pretty boring, that was until the door opened and two people entered who seemed very much out of place.

"You know I never thought I'd choose to drink here..." Came the voice of Arthur Weasley as he stepped inside, causing the barman to glance up.

"Sod off if you don't like it!" The wild-haired figure that was Aberforth Dumbledore spat, glaring at the newcomers.

"Afternoon, Aberforth!" An even more familiar voice called cheerfully. Teddy found himself slumping down in his chair at the sound of it. "Firewhisky, if we may."

"Right you are, Lupin." Aberforth grunted, not sounding any less hostile as he reached for a pair of dusty looking glasses.

"Still, like old times, eh?" Arthur was saying, grinning as he and Remus took a seat, horribly close to where Teddy had chosen to sit.

"It is," Remus agreed. "Besides, there's no peace to be had in the Three Broomsticks with the students visiting."

Teddy watched Aberforth shuffle over and place the glasses on the table before the two wizards.

"You more careful than yer missus with my glasses, Lupin?" The old man asked with a snort of laughter.

Remus raised the glass as if to toast the barman, but said nothing.

"How's Tonks doing?" Arthur asked once Aberforth was back behind the bar.

At this question Remus drained his glass in a few short gulps and placed it firmly on the table.

"She's not bad." He mumbled, eyes downcast. "Still avoiding me every chance she has. I can tell. I never knew anybody need to work late every night since the war, even the Head of Aurors…"

Arthur sighed heavily, reaching to pat his friend reassuringly on the shoulder.

"She'll come round. It could be worse, she could know you already have it set up."

Remus nodded, studying the dirty glass in front of him.

"Merlin knows what she'd say if she knew I had it sitting in my office." He said, chuckling despite himself. "Then again, Merlin knows what Minerva would say, leaving something like that where the students could stumble across it."

"She'd not sack you." Arthur reasoned. "It's not _dangerous_."

"No," Remus agreed. "But it's hardly….appropriate."

As Arthur finished his glass and the two men got to their feet, speaking of a stroll up the high street, it occurred to Teddy that they were walking in his direction again and so he got quickly to his feet, hurrying towards the door. As he stepped out into the chilly sunshine a hand grabbed hold of him by the arm.

"Bloody hell, Ted!" Chester cried as Teddy jumped slightly. "I saw them go in…"

"They're coming back out, quickly." Teddy told him as he dropped the morph. The two boys sprinted back to the main street and hurried towards the gates of the school.


	11. The Plan

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns it all._

**11: The Plan**

"...so that's why you gotta help me!"

Chester eyed Teddy with a somewhat bemused expression over the rim of his goblet. There was a long silence as Teddy stared back at him expectantly.

"Well?" The metamorphmagus asked at last, folding his arms firmly across his chest. "Say something!"

Another few confused seconds passed before Chester finally complied.

"That's bloody mental, mate." He said at last. Indeed, Chester had never heard anything as crazy as breaking into a teacher's office.

"But Ches..."

"No, seriously Ted, your dad would completely _flip_."

"But he won't even know!"

The two boys were in the Great Hall eating a dinner of sizzling fat sausages and creamy mashed potato. Around them the room buzzed with talk of their fellow students' antics in Hogsmeade earlier that day. However Teddy and Chester were well passed talk of their exploits and had now moved on to discuss Teddy's plans for later on that evening. Shoveling potato into his mouth, Chester turned to look up at the High Table where the teachers sat. He watched Remus pass a jug of pumpkin juice to Professor Vector. The boy swallowed his mouthful of potato and slowly shook his head.

"Yeah but he could find out, and then he'd probably kill us."

"Ches, this is really important!" Teddy insisted as he drowned his sausages in gravy. "I'm gonna need all the help I can get..."

"I'll help!" Came a voice from just behind him and he jumped at the sound of it. A girl with long silvery blonde locks slid into a seat beside him. "Hey Teddy!" She greeted enthusiastically, reaching to help herself to some food.

"Hi Victoire." Teddy said, offering her a smile. "Gravy?"

After slopping a generous amount of potato onto her plate the second year Weasley accepted the gravy boat from him, beaming.

"Thanks! So what do you need help with, Teddy-Bear? Sounded important."

Teddy's smile faltered somewhat and he hurriedly preoccupied himself with his dinner.

"Oh nothing." He mumbled through a mouthful of greens. "It doesn't matter really. Me and Chester can sort it."

"You're on your own, mate." Chester told him bluntly. "I'm not sneaking anywhere, it was bad enough last time without all this snooping about."

"Oh!" Victoire exclaimed, leaning closer to the two boys and dropping her voice conspiratorially. "Are you planning a midnight feast or something? That would be cool!"

"No, we're not." Teddy said quickly, shaking his head in emphasis. "It's okay Vic, we don't need any help or anything. Besides, we could get in trouble if we're caught so you probably shouldn't come..."

"Why not?" She asked, frowning deeply and sounding rather offended. "You think I'd get you caught or something? You think I'm not smart enough?!"

"No!" Teddy almost choked on his dinner in his hurry to answer her. "No, it's not that at all, I just figured you wouldn't want..."

"You listen here, Lupin!" Victoire hissed angrily, jabbing a finger into the turquoise haired boy's chest. "My Uncle George owns the biggest shop for pranksters in the whole of Britain! I hardly think I'm incapable of getting away with a trick or two!"

Both boys stared at her in bewilderment at this little outburst. The girl blushed slightly and stared down at her plate.

"She's lost the plot, Ted." Chester whispered in his friend's ear.

"Sorry Teddy." Victoire mumbled, drawing patterns in her mashed potato with her fork. "It's just...well I had a bad time in Defence the other day and it's still bugging me."

"What happened?" Teddy asked, shooting Chester a warning look.

"Well it was all Lucinda Robertson's fault!" Victoire told him angrily. "She was being horrible! I thought I'd just ignore her, but then...then...oh Teddy she started teasing my friend Emma too! I told Emma to ignore her, but then the nasty cow said Emma's ears made her look like a house elf, and Emma got so upset! She's really sensitive about her ears, she thinks they're terrible! Then Lucinda said, you'll never believe this..."

Teddy forced himself not to roll his eyes as he listened patiently to the long list of Lucinda Robertson's crimes, until it occurred to him suddenly Victoire looked as though she was about to burst.

"...I couldn't stand it anymore!" The girl cried, gripping hold of her knife and fork with such force that Teddy feared they would snap. "So I hexed her!"

At the mention of somebody being hexed, Chester suddenly seemed much more interested.

"Cool!" He enthused, and Teddy glared at him.

"But of course Professor Lupin saw me do it and he was _furious_!" Victoire continued, impaling a sausage on the end of her fork.

"What did he say?" Chester asked excitedly.

"Well he helped Lucinda off up the floor and told one of the boys to take her to the hospital wing. Then he took fifty points from Gryffindor! Fifty! In front of the whole class! And he said that it was disgraceful behavior and I ought be ashamed! Then he gave me detention!"

"Well I'm sure you're not the first to get detention for hexing somebody..." Teddy began, but trailed off at the furious look she shot him.

"That's not the worst bit!" She cried, face now a deep scarlet. "He then said he was surprised at me, and that he thought I knew better! Then Olga Lynch _laughed_ at me!" She took a large bite of food and chewed somewhat viciously. Teddy was sure he heard her mutter _know better?! You'll see!_

"That's bad." He said feebly, glancing over towards where his father sat. The boy wondered if Remus had any clue that his words had fueled such an explosion of anger.

"Please let me help, Teddy!" Victoire begged, giving him her most pleading look as he looked back round at her. At the sight of a miniature Fleur Weasley batting her eyelids at him with the smallest of pouts Teddy numbly heard himself agree to her request.

"Great!" Victoire exclaimed, grinning widely at him. "So what's the plan?"

They decided to head back to the Gryffindor Common Room to discuss the plan as there would be fewer people to overhear their plotting. After Teddy had explained the situation to Victoire she had frowned and shook her head.

"You can't get in there at night, Teddy." She told him as she sat curled up on an armchair before a blazing fire. "Teachers leave wards on office doors to stop students getting in. No, your only hope is to wait till he's in the office, then make sure he leaves in a hurry. That way he's distracted and he won't have locked and warded the door."

"She has a good point." Chester agreed, and Teddy wondered just when his friend had changed his mind and become keen to participate in their crime.

"Yeah. But how are we gonna distract him?" Teddy asked, only to jump slightly at a sudden wail that came from the chair next to his own. He and Chester looked to find Victoire trembling in her seat, looking positively mortified. She gave a large sniff and wiped her nose of her sleeve as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.

"Uncle Remus!" She sobbed, clutching at strands of hair in horror. "I can't find Sylvie! She's gone! I can't find her anywhere, you've got to help me find her! She belonged to my grand-mere!!"

From her spot lying on the floor in front of the fire, Victoire's fluffy silver tabby cat glanced up at her mistress' outburst with a look of vague interest. Both boys followed the cat's lead and simply stared.

"That'll do it." Chester finally decided, positively stunned.

Teddy found it difficult to hold back laughter as he and Chester hid behind a suit of armour just round the corner from the Defence teacher's office, watching a hysterical Victoire Weasley practically drag Remus off down the corridor by the sleeve of his robes.

Though he was unaware of it as he nodded to Chester and hurried round the corner and into his father's office, Teddy was a mere hour away from telling a lie which he would desperately want Remus to believe. But for now he was much more interested in having a good poke around the small room, whilst Chester kept a close eye on the Marauders' Map. He went through every draw in the desk, peered at the huge number of books in the bookcases and even searched under the grindylow's tank. After ransacking a chest of draws and finding nothing of interest Teddy began to loose hope, until he spotted a small chest that stood against the side of the desk. Finding it locked, Teddy drew out his wand and muttered:

"_Alohamora_!" At the sound of the lock clicking undone he felt a small rush of excitement as he raised the lid and peered at the object that lay within.

It was a small stone basin with odd marks carved into it's rim. Tracing them with a finger, Teddy's eyes came to rest on the centre of the basin, where a tangle of silver threads seemed to weave in and out of one another, glittering as they went. Feeling somewhat memorized Teddy leaned closer to the basin, squinting at it as shapes seemed to form in it's midst. Was that a tree, he wondered, and what was that moving along past it? Teddy leaned closer still and the image seemed clearer. A figure in a shabby looking cloak was hurrying along a path, hood drawn up over their head as the wind blew furiously. As he leaned a little closer Teddy was vaguely aware of Chester asking him if he had found something, but before he could answer the basin suddenly seemed to expand, until there was nothing else. Teddy was falling...


	12. Get Rid Of It

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns it all._

**12: Get Rid of It**

Teddy's scream ended abruptly as his feet met the concrete of the pavement. Heart pounding in his ears, the boy looked up at the sky as if expecting to see the ceiling of Remus' office, but was met with an overcast sky. His gaze dropped to the shabby figure who was hurrying along just in front of him. Trying to pull himself together as quickly as possible, Teddy hurried along after the person.

_Keep calm_, _Teddy_, he told himself firmly. _This is weird, but there must be some sort of explanation fo_r...

The thought ended suddenly as Teddy found that he recognized his surroundings. It was the street where he lived with his parents. Finding a odd sort of comfort in this realization Teddy quickened his pace to a jog.

"Excuse me!" He called over the howl of the wind, trying to get the stranger's attention. When they didn't stop he called again. "Excuse me! Hey, wait a moment!" Speeding up to a run Teddy caught up with the person and reached to tap them on the shoulder. To his alarm his hand passed straight through the shoulder, and Teddy withdrew his hand with a gasp of surprise. Despite the shock he forced himself to keep up the fast pace and followed the person as they turned onto a garden path and came to a halt on a doorstep. It was then that Teddy took a closer look at the person. Clearly whoever it was was unaware that the boy was there, that much was clear. In fact, Teddy mused, finding himself more intrigued than afraid, it was as if he were a ghost. A strong gust of wind blew back the person's hood and Teddy gasped once again.

"Dad!" He cried, despite knowing that Remus could not hear him.

Remus looked different, Teddy observed. His disheveled hair seemed less grey and his face a little less lined. He looked younger. His clothes on the other hand were faded and worn, even patched in places and he stood hugging one arm to his chest, which he briefly released to knock on the door.

Movement was heard inside the house, _his_ house Teddy thought, before a voice called out.

"Who is it?" Teddy heard his mother call.

"It's Remus." His father called back.

"When were you bitten?" Came the reply.

Teddy frowned. What sort of question was that? Why hadn't she opened the door? And why did she sound so _suspicious_?

"When I was seven years old." Remus called back, not sounding even slightly surprised by the odd questioning.

"Where?" Came the sharp response.

"On my right shoulder."

There was a long pause before a series of clicks were heard as locks were undone, and at last the door was opened.

Tonks did not look any different, Teddy found as he took a good look at her. She stood, wand held firmly in one hand, hair the same bright pink that Teddy knew so well, smiling at her husband as she stepped back to allow him entrance. She looked a lot more pale, however, as if she were terribly worried about something.

Teddy followed his father inside, slipping in just as his mother shut the door.

Remus slowly pulled the cloak from his shoulders, and Tonks took it from him, hanging it up on a hook.

"Thank goodness you're back!" She said, sounding immensely relieved. She turned and threw her arms around Remus, but he visibly winced at the gesture and backed away from her. She released him at once and backed away herself, biting her lip slightly. Her eyes came to rest on the arm he cradled to his chest.

"Are...are you hurt?" She asked him, her voice a mere whisper.

At Remus' small nod, Teddy winced himself as his mother burst into tears.

Remus sighed heavily and stepped towards her, to hug her Teddy assumed. But to his shock Remus instead grasped hold of his wife's shoulder and gave her a small shake.

"For Merlin's sake, Dora! Pull yourself together!" He told her firmly.

Tonks' sobs subsided slightly and her head came to rest on her husband's shoulder.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, taking a few shuddering breaths before straightening up again. "Here.." She reached for his injured arm, gently drawing it towards her. "Is it broken?" At his nod she gave her wand a sharp flick and, with a small sniff, muttered: "_episkey_!"

"Thank you." Remus said, leaning to press a kiss onto her forehead.

"I didn't make dinner...I wasn't sure when you'd be back." She said as he turned, flexing his arm experientially, and made his way into the living room.

"I'm not hungry." He said, collapsing into a chair with a sigh.

Teddy followed Tonks into the living room where she perched on the arm of the sofa, clasping her hands together almost nervously.

"Me neither." She mumbled.

Remus appeared not to hear her as he sat sprawled in the chair with his eyes firmly closed. Tonks looked over at him and simply stared for a long while.

"Dora?" Remus said at last, without opening his eyes. Tonks seemed to jump slightly at the sound of his voice, but slowly got to her feet.

"Remus?"

He beckoned her with a finger, his eyes still closed as if exhausted. As Tonks slowly moved towards him Teddy too crept forward as if Remus were beckoning to him. The whole scene was very strange, Teddy mused as Tonks came to a halt in front of her husband. Why was she so jumpy and nervous around his father? It was almost as if she was _afraid_...

Wordlessly Remus reached up and wrapped his arms around Tonks' waist, pulling her closer until she turned in his arms and let him pull her right down onto his lap. A small smile spread across his face as he reached to smooth her hair with one hand. Brushing aside the short pink locks he leaned to kiss the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry." He whispered against her skin, as she too smiled as if suddenly at ease.

It occurred to Teddy that usually if he were witness to such a display he would have bolted out the door by now, but somehow this was different. In fact he found himself bizarrely interested, though he was not entirely sure why. He did not even screw his eyes shut as Tonks repositioned herself to sit across her husband's lap in order to take his face in her hands and kiss him fervently. Teddy couldn't complain about this, he told himself firmly. Not only would they not even hear his protests, but clearly he had not been born yet, therefore such displays were allowed, since he ought not be there to witness them in the first place. Besides, they did appear to be enjoying themselves. A lot...

Tonks drew back so suddenly that Remus tightened his grip on her as if she were about to fall from his lap.

"Everything okay?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Tonks said hurriedly, but she frowned deeply for a moment before shaking her head. "Well...no everything's not okay, actually, Remus..." By the end of the sentence her voice had dropped to a mere whisper. But she took a deep breath and the fearful expression that had began to creep onto her face was gone. In fact Teddy was strongly reminded of the proud look his grandmother Andromeda usually wore.

"...A death...?" Remus tried, looking deeply disturbed by this revelation.

"No, far from it."

"Another disappearance?"

"No."

"Harry?!"

"Harry's fine, Remus."

By now Remus looked baffled.

"Then what...?"

Teddy watched Tonks draw in a huge breath as if it were a huge effort.

"We're going to have a baby, Remus." She announced through gritted teeth.

Teddy watched Remus give a small sigh.

"No, Dora, we've spoken about this already, we can't have a baby, it would be completely..."

"No, I mean we _are_ going to have a baby." Tonks interrupted, gripping hold of his arms as if he would push her off onto the floor in surprise. "I'm pregnant."

Remus did seem to struggle with both the news and the effort of not letting her fall, he immediately appeared to tremble and stutter incoherent words before taking a breath and forcing out four words that tore Teddy's heart in half.

"Get rid of it!"

Tonks continued to grip hold of his arms and stared at him in the eyes.

"It's alright Remus..." She began slowly, her thumbs rubbing soothing circles into his forearms.

"No, Dora, it's not alright!" Remus told her, voice verging on a shout. "I told you, we can't have a baby, we can't, we...we have to go to Mungo's..."

"We can't go to the hospital, you know it's not safe..." Tonks continued, still managing to sound calm. "It's alright, we don't need to go anywhere, it's going to be fine..."

Remus appeared to be trying to force her hands off of him, but he was so panic-stricken that his attempts were feeble.

"Dora, I can't be a father! What kind of child would want me as a father? I mean it's the most ridiculous idea..."

"This isn't an idea, it's a fact." Tonks told him, sounding suddenly quite stern. "We're going to have this baby, Remus, and you are going to be a good father."

"We have to go to Mungo's!" Remus tried again, as Tonks finally gave in to his struggling and he pushed her to her feet.

"We can't!" Tonks repeated, beginning to loose her calm. "We can't go, it's dangerous, if the Death Eaters find out about this...!! Besides, for Merlin's sake Remus! This is a child! A_ life_! You can't just tell me to get rid of it! It's _our_ child! If I were to get rid of it, I'd be like bloody Bellatrix, killing family! She killed Sirius, Remus! He was her cousin, her _cousin_! Don't you tell me to kill my own son or daughter!"

At this Remus hung his head as if deeply ashamed, but Teddy could hear his breathing still fast and frantic as he continued to panic.

"Dora, I..." He began shakily, but suddenly Teddy found that he could not hear what Remus was saying and the room around him seemed to blur. Biting back a shout of fear Teddy screwed his eyes shut and held his breath. He felt himself topple backwards and land with a painful thud on a cold, stone floor.

"Merlin, you okay, Ted?!" Chester's voice asked, and Teddy's eyes shot back open again to find him lying on his back on the floor of Remus' office. He hastily sat up and leaned over the stone basin once again, only to see the mass of silver threads.

"You had your head right inside it, it was weird, but your dad's on his way back to the office, so I pulled you back..."

Before Chester could finish Teddy slammed the lid of the chest shut and got to his feet.

"Let's get out of here!" He told Chester hastily, and the two boys fled the room. They raced down the corridor and rounded the corner, finally slowing to a walk.

"Ches, Ches, it was...it was...awful...I..." Teddy immediately began to babble, struggling not to cry, his hair darkening to black.

"Calm down, mate, we got away with it!" Chester told him, patting him gingerly on the shoulder.

They rounded another corner to see two familiar figures walking towards them and Teddy forced a look of calm onto his face.

Remus and Victoire were laughing.

"So what did you do?!" Teddy heard her ask the professor as she managed to control her laughter.

"I got rid of it." Remus told her, as they neared Teddy and Chester.

At the sound of his father's words Teddy cringed, recalling the desperation in the words the man had cried at his mother: _Get rid of it_!

"Hey Teddy!" Victoire's voice startled him and he looked up to find the pair had come to a halt in front of him.

"Hi Vic. Dad." He mumbled, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

"You should be getting back to Gryffindor Tower." Remus told the three children, though his eyes were fixed on his son's downcast eyes and he felt troubled by them.

"Yeah, we should." Victoire agreed, grinning at Chester, oblivious to her other friend's discomfort. "Thanks for the help, Uncle Remus!" With that the girl turned and began to lead the two boys down the corridor.

"No problem, Victoire, goodnight." Remus said, rolling his eyes a little as he recalled the frantic search he had been on that evening, only to discover the cat Sylvie asleep before the fire in Gryffindor tower, perfectly unscathed. As Teddy made his way past him, however, the cat slipped from Remus' mind. "Teddy...?" He said quietly, gently tapping his son on the shoulder.

Teddy turned and met his father's gaze, willing himself to appear normal.

"Dad?" he returned, offering Remus a small smile. He couldn't help but feel that Remus' eyes were seeing past his eyes and into his head, but the boy tried not to panic at the thought. There was a pause that seemed to last forever before Remus spoke.

"Everything okay?"

Again Teddy was reminded of what he had heard back in the stone basin, but he shoved the thought aside. Here it was, he realized. Here was the moment where Theodore Remus Lupin would lie once again to his father, but this time pray that he was believed. Time seemed to suddenly halt as Teddy stared right back into Remus' eyes. _Don't read me like a book, Dad_, he thought desperately. _Just believe me_...

"Everything's fine." He heard himself say brightly, and then he held his breath.

Remus continued to stare at his son as the boy smiled at him. Teddy was sure he could hear the ticking on the watch he fingered at his wrist.

Then Remus spoke again.

"Good." He said, at last breaking eye contact. His hand came to rest on Teddy's shoulder momentarily as he turned to continue towards his office. "I'm glad to hear it, goodnight Teddy."

"Goodnight Dad."

Teddy watched his father walk down the corridor, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Had Remus believed him?

Teddy could not tell.


	13. Boils

_Note: Thanks very much to my reviewers, __**Random Under The Sun**__ and __**Someone aka Me**__, just what I wanted to hear when the holidays are cruelly snatched away from me and I am forced to return to college!_

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me, J K Rowling owns it all._

**13: Boils**

The students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry awoke that Sunday morning to the sound of rain hammering against the windows of the castle. The day was a wet one, and so they would have to seek entertainment indoors. Looking for a quiet spot to relax many headed for the library, only to have the hushed atmosphere disturbed abruptly by the sound of the Madam Pince, the librarian, screeching at somebody amongst the bookshelves.

"Mr Burton! Lower that wand immediately! What on earth do you think you're doing?!"

When Chester appeared to have no intention of lowering the wand that he had directed straight at Orion Lynch's face, Teddy reached forward and tugged his arm firmly down.

"He was going to curse me!" Orion announced, slipping his own wand back into the pocket of his robes. "Him and Lupin!"

"I don't care who was going to curse who!" Shrieked the librarian, glasses slipping down her nose as she practically shook with rage. "Get out of my library, all of you!"

As Chester, Teddy, Orion and his Slytherin friends slowly trooped out of the library, Teddy felt Orion give him a light shove on the shoulder.

"You should keep Burton under better control, get him a lead like your dad…"

Chester thrust his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wand, again pointing it at the burly Slytherin.

"Leave it, Ches." Teddy mumbled, turning and reaching to grab his friend by the shoulder and drag him outside.

"That's it Lupin, take the animal outside. You know you have quite a talent with wild animals, you should make a career out of it…"

Teddy released his friend's shoulder abruptly, opting to draw his own wand. Ignoring Madam Pince's shrieks of protest he took definite aim and bellowed the first spell that came into his head. A thin beam of light shot from the end of his wand, striking Orion directly on the forehead. The other boy let out howl of pain, stumbling backwards into his friends, hands flying up to cover his face.

"Mr. Lupin!" Madam Pince was at Orion's side in a heartbeat, followed by a number of curious students who immediately began to whisper to one another excitedly.

"You've got a killer aim, mate." Chester commented brightly as Teddy finally lowered his wand, attempting not to look as smug as he felt as he watched a whimpering Orion have his hands coaxed from his face by the librarian. The whispering of the other students grew louder and a few gasps were thrown in to the mix as Orion's face became visible. Huge red boils had sprung up all over the Slytherin's skin, dominated by one particularly shiny one on his forehead where the spell had struck.

"Ha! That one's the size of a snitch!" Chester cried, pointing with a finger that shook with his laughter.

"Silence!" Madan Pince rounded on the two Gryffindors with a look that suggested that she was about to spit fire. "Take him to the Hospital Wing!" She instructed, pushing Orion towards one of his startled companions. "You two! You will go immediately to see the Headmistress! Cursing other students in my library?! Go on, go!!"

Teddy and Chester left the library in silence and began to walk down the corridor.

"Merlin, McGonagall's gonna be seriously mad." Chester said at last as they turned a corner.

"Yeah, she is." Teddy agreed, for once not sounding too bothered that he was in trouble.

"She'll kill us! How long do you reckon we'll be in detention for? Do you think she'll write to our parents?"

"Not yours, just mine. You didn't _actually_ curse anybody."

"Yeah, I suppose."

They walked in silence until they reached the statue of the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmistress' office.

"Can you let us in? So McGonagall can yell at us and so on…?" Chester asked it, staring into it's sightless stone eyes.

There was no movement for a moment as if the statue was considering his request, but then it sprung aside to let them pass.

At the top of the stairs they stood for a moment, enjoying the peace, before nodding each other and simultaneously knocking on the door.

"Come in." They heard Professor McGonagall call, and so Teddy pushed the door open and lead the way inside.

The Headmistress of Hogwarts was sat behind her desk, hands clasped together on the polished surface, watching the two boys approach. Both Teddy and Chester had to admit to themselves that the follow few minutes were not going to be at all pleasant.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Burton." She said, her tone not unfriendly but her face emotionless. There was no smile, not even a trace. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Madam Pince sent us, Professor." Teddy told her as he and Chester came to a halt before the desk, hands clasped behind their backs. When she said nothing, the boy found himself forced to explain himself further. "Because we…" He glanced sideways at Chester, "_I_…cursed Orion Lynch."

"And Mr. Burton…?"

"I…drew my wand on him." Chester admitted, staring at his shoes. "I didn't curse him, though, just drew my wand. I wasn't going to curse him, I just…"

"Thank you, Mr. Burton." The Headmistress interrupted icily. "Drawing your wand was quite bad enough, I can assure you. As for you, Mr. Lupin, I don't know why you would feel the need to resort to such a disgraceful display…"

"Yes you do!" Teddy heard himself say, anger bubbling up inside him. Despite the anger he immediately regretted interrupting, but having started he decided to go on. "You know _exactly_ why! Orion Lynch is a piece of _scum_ and every word he ever says to me is insulting! He hates my dad…!"

"Be that as it may, I'm sure your father will be ashamed to hear of your behavior."

"My dad doesn't give a _damn_ about me or my behavior!" Teddy retorted, voice raised to a shout.

"That's quite enough!" Professor McGonagall's voice rose to match his. "You will both receive detention for the next week. I shall be writing to your mother, Mr. Lupin. I am sure she will be suitably appalled. What people must think of the Head of Aurors' son attacking other students, I don't care to imagine. I will speak to your father this evening…"

"He won't care."

There was a long silence as she scrutinized the red haired boy from behind her glasses.

"We shall see about that." She said at last, sounding almost thoughtful. "Fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor House. Attacking other students is highly inappropriate behavior. Now please return to your common room, it seems now that I have a letter to write."

The two boys' exit was just as silent as their exit. As the gargoyle stepped back into place behind them Teddy's hair began to fade back to turquoise.

"She shouldn't bother my dad about this." He told Chester, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I won't defend him anymore. He doesn't deserve it." And with that he stalked off down the corridor. Chester did not follow, for his friend's words shocked him. Once Teddy was out of sight Chester began to walk again. But he did not head to Gryffindor Tower. He had somewhere different in mind…


	14. A First For Chester

_Note: Hi guys, remember me? Probably not, it's been quite a long while! I'm sorry I've not updated, I spend most of my life buried under mounds of homework these days. Anyway, here goes..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does. I own nothing._

**14: A First for Chester**

Whilst Teddy Lupin lied frequently to his father, Chester Burton preferred to tell lies to his teachers instead. His owl had ruined his homework having mistaken it for the paper lining the bottom of it's cage, the dungbombs in his pockets had been planted there by a Slytherin to get him into trouble, he was not responsible for the foul smelling green sludge that had manifested the Charms corridor and Orion Lynch's cauldron exploding, coating half of the dungeon with swelling solution, had absolutely nothing to do with him. Yes, Chester Burton had lied and deceived his teachers on many occasions to hide his misbehavior, but never before had he willingly gone looking for a teacher to admit to his crimes.

However, he realized nervously as he stood outside of Professor Lupin's office, rocking back and forward on his heels in apprehension, that was all about to change.

"Come in," The professor's voice called, but Chester made no move to open the door. Perhaps he should just go back to Gryffindor Tower, he mused. Maybe he could talk some sense into Teddy, there was no need to go running to Remus just because Teddy was having a bad day, he couldn't have truly meant what he had said...

But Teddy had never said anything like that before. He had sounded like he'd actually meant it too...

Chester reached for the door handle and opened the door before he could persuade himself that it was a bad idea.

"Chester," The Defence teacher acknowledged as the boy shuffled into the office, letting the door swing shut behind him.

Chester forced himself to stop staring at the floor and looked up to find Remus sat behind his desk, quill in hand, a pile of marked essays sat neatly to one side.

"Professor...I have to talk to you." The boy blurted, for he was sure that if he were to waste time with proper greetings he would use those precious seconds to persuade himself to lie about why he was there. "It's Teddy...he's...being weird."

"Being weird?" Remus echoed, eyebrow raised as he set down his quill and gestured to the chair in front of him.

Chester took a seat, hands clasped together in his lap nervously.

"Yeah." He mumbled, his resolve beginning to falter slightly.

"In what way is he being...weird?" Remus asked, not sounding at all surprised by the claim, and when Chester looked up he found the werewolf leaning back almost lazily in his chair, smiling encouragingly. The boy felt a little better. He had always liked Teddy's father, he was easy to talk to. Chester rarely felt stupid when talking to Remus, his ability to slip from formality to a casualness that would befit a lazy summer afternoon back at the Lupins' family home was comforting.

"He...he said something strange just now when we were coming out of the Headmistress' office...gosh he's gonna kill me for coming here...but...well...I dunno that I know what to do..." Chester said quietly, stumbling over his words and pulling a face. At this pained expression Remus smiled a little more and got to his feet.

"Don't worry, Chester." He said calmly, pulling out his wand and setting the kettle in the corner to heat with a small flick. "I'm sure Teddy would understand you coming to see me if you were concerned about him. Now..." He pulled open a draw and pulled out a large silver tin, placing it on the desk in front of Chester. "Why don't we start from the beginning? What were the two of you doing in the Headmistress' office?"

Chester watched him pull the lid of the tin open to reveal an array of brightly colored sweets. Apparently the professor secretly frequented Honeydukes sweet shop at weekends. Remus scooped a small handful of Every Flavored Beans up into his palm and pushed the tin across the table towards the boy. Chester gave a small smile of thanks as he chose a liquorish wand and chewed on it nervously.

"Madam Pince made us go." He admitted, fidgeting. "She threw us out the library for...arguing with Orion Lynch."

"I see." Remus said, voice only marginally stern as he studied the beans in his hand suspiciously. "So...who cursed who?"

Chester grimaced at how easily Remus had seen the true meaning of his words.

"Teddy cursed Orion." He admitted, eyes on the floor. He dared a glance up to see if Remus appeared as deeply ashamed as the Headmistress had predicted and found Remus holding a bright red bean up for inspection, frowning deeply. The boy was not sure if the frown was one of concentration as the bean was scrutinized or one of disapproval to hear of his son's activities. When the professor said nothing Chester went on with his story, eyes back on the floor.

"So Madam Pince got really mad and sent Orion to the Hospital Wing to get the boils off his face..." He paused to glance up again to gage Remus' reaction to this detail and found him still studying beans, though Chester was sure his jaw had tightened somewhat. The young Gryffindor took a bite of liquorish wand and continued. "And she made us go to see Professor McGonagall. So we went up and she was mad with us and she told Teddy she was gonna write to his mum and speak to you about him this evening and that you would both be ashamed to hear about it, people would think Merlin knows what if they heard the son of the Head of Aurors was attacking other students...and...then Teddy said..." He trailed off into silence, swallowing hard. There was a long silence broken by the sound of Remus pouring the beans back into the tin. Chester looked up to see him leaning forward in his chair, hands together on the desk before him as if he were suddenly very much interested in what he was hearing.

"What did he say, Chester?" Remus asked, voice much more serious than before, causing a wave of nerves to wash over the child. Chester did not reply for over two minutes.

"He...he said...he said that...that you didn't give a damn about him, or his behavior and that she could tell you whatever she liked 'cause you wouldn't care...and...and then when we were outside the office he said...he said she shouldn't bother telling you about him cursing Orion 'cause...'cause it wouldn't happen again...he...he wouldn't stand up for you again...he said...he said you didn't deserve it."

There was silence once again and Chester slowly looked up at Remus. The werewolf's face was blank, expressionless, but his hands had come to grip the edges of the desk and his eyes were slightly widened as if shocked. Hurt, Chester supposed. Deeply hurt.

"I see." Remus said again, though his voice was much quieter this time.

"And that's weird, Teddy never said anything like that before, he always goes on about how great you are." Chester added, feeling almost guilty that he had shared Teddy's declaration with the boy's father. He felt compelled to soften the blow.

Remus said nothing. He looked as though he were lost in thought.

"Has Teddy said anything else to you recently? About me? Or his mother?" He asked at last, when his musings came to nothing.

Chester sucked on his liquorish wand thoughtfully. He came to the conclusion that today, for once, he would tell his teacher nothing but the truth. The whole truth.

"He said you and Mrs. Lupin were arguing. 'Cause he found some letters..." He trailed off again as Remus' eyes widened even more. The boy felt himself reddening in embarrassment as he admitted that he knew all about what was clearly a very close kept secret. But after a moment Remus' features relaxed again as if he had forced himself to accept this fact.

"Anything else?"

"Um...well...he told me about that on the train...and then...that night we came to find you...he was all hysterical and he told me you and his mum were still arguing, he heard you or something..." Chester took another bite of liquorish. "Then...umm...well we went to Hogsmeade..." He trailed off and sighed heavily. It began to dawn on him just how much he was going to admit.

"What happened in Hogsmeade?" Remus asked, voice more casual as if he were managing to handle his shock and discomfort the more that was revealed to him.

"Well...I dared Teddy to go in the Hogs Head...and he morphed...and he heard you talking to Arthur Weasley..." He halted abruptly, for Remus had gotten suddenly to his feet. Clearly his ability to cope with shock had suddenly dissolved. Chester watched him step swiftly out from behind the desk and stoop down next to the chest that Teddy had opened the day beforehand. Chester held his breath, gripping the arms of his chair in panic as Remus tested the lid, finding it unlocked.

"Oh Merlin..." The professor whispered, letting the lid fall shut again. He got quickly to his feet and turned to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder. "I need you to fetch Teddy for me, Chester." He said hurriedly, before throwing the floo powder into the fireplace.

"Yes sir." Chester mumbled, though as he left he was sure Remus did not hear him, for he was too busy crouching before the fire, head in the flames.

"Harry? Is Dora there?" Chester heard him ask urgently. "Can you ask her to come downstairs? In fact tell her to floo over here. Yes, it will be easier for her when she decides to hex me into the middle of next week. Is it that bad? You have _no_ idea..."


	15. Breaking News

_Note: Thanks to all my lovely reviewers who have no deserted me even when I took so long to update, you are all truly amazing! Reviews for this chapter would be extra appreciated, I'm not totally sure of it!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**15: Breaking News**

It should have stung, But he was much too numb to feel it. He felt nothing, except cold, heart pounding panic and a sickening sense of deja vu. She had hit him then, too, but for the opposite reason. Back then she had told him not to be selfless.

"You selfish, deceiving..._selfish_...!" She trembled with anger, speech stumbling and clumsy as she struggled to find words scathing enough.

Remus said nothing. Quite frankly, he dared not. He merely stood with his hands behind his back, gripping the edge of the desk, jaw clenched as he stared down at his feet in shame.

Buy her flowers then get down on your knees and beg. James had claimed it worked every time. Remus scowled at the thought. As if it could ever be so simple...

"I can't believe you could go behind my back like this! After I _told_ you...!" Tonks broke off, an angry strangled noise escaping her throat as hot, furious tears leaked down her face. "I never thought I'd have to deal with anything like this, not from you! I thought I married somebody _honest_ and _decent_! No wonder Teddy goes sneaking around, what do you expect when his father schemes and deceives his own wife?!"

"Not for one single second did I plan to show him without your say so, Dora, I swear!" He looked up at her, trying best to plead as James had once suggested. For dignity's sake he refused to sink towards the floor just yet, he hoped it would not come to that. "It was no easy task, recalling all of those memories we spent so long burying, I wanted time to do it, I didn't want to have to rush. So I didn't wait for you to agree, but I never mentioned anything to Teddy, how was I to know he would overhear? We were in the Hog's Head, Dora, for Merlin's sake the _Hog's Head_! Of all the places for him to sneak into...!" He trailed off as the mere thought of what had happened made him shudder. "I wouldn't show him without you, you _know_ I wouldn't." He added desperately, releasing the desk to hold his hands out as if defeated.

Tonks stared at him, scrutinizingly. The anger slowly began to fade from her eyes, yet she continued to tremble.

"You wouldn't show him?" She whispered, as if she was not sure.

"No, never." He raised his arms, reaching for her, head tilted to the side slightly, pleading still. "Forgive me?"

"Teddy!" A voice shrieked, high pitched in panic. "Don't!"

The Gryffindors abandoned their games of chess, books and homework to turn to look at the drama that was unfolding in the center of their common room.

"You told on me?!" Teddy shouted, wand pointing directly at his best friend's face. "You told him everything?! Are you bloody mad?!"

Chester eyed the wand warily but shook his head firmly.

"Teddy! Put down your wand!" Victoire demanded from behind him, stamping her foot in frustration. At her second attempt to calm him down, Teddy lowered his wand to his side.

"Ches, my parents will kill me!" He cried, hair an odd mix of furious red and despairing black.

"I was just worried about you." Chester mumbled, flushing red as he noticed his fellow students staring. "Besides, he didn't seem very angry, just worried..."

"How can he not be angry?! We broke into his office!"

"Yeah, I know but..."

"Now he's gonna tell my mum everything and she'll go crazy! They'll get a bloody _divorce_!"

"Um...Teddy...?" Victoire tapped him cautiously on the shoulder, nodding towards the crowd around them when he glanced at her. As Teddy felt his cheeks warming in embarrassment she took a firm hold of his arm. "C'mon Ches." She said, marching Teddy towards the portrait hole. Chester followed, shoulders slumped, head hung in despair.

"Right!" She said, coming to an abrupt halt and rounding on the two boys as the portrait swung shut behind them. "Now you listen here, this is what we're going to do! Listen, Teddy!" She snapped as the metamorphmagus returned to glaring at his friend. He immediately looked back at her, somewhat taken aback by her sharp tone. "You're gonna quit yelling at Chester in front of loads of people and you're gonna go see your dad. It's not fair to get so angry when Ches was only trying to help, your dad might not even get angry!"

"They'll get a divorce!" Teddy whined, shooting another glare at Chester. "If Ches hadn't opened his big mouth my mum wouldn't have to know anything and they could stay together!"

"Maybe that would be bad though." Chester mused aloud, causing both Teddy and Victoire to stare at him disbelievingly. "I mean it would be dumb for them to stay married when they argue and stuff..."

"Shut up Ches! They love each other, of course they should stay married!"

"Well yeah, but you weren't even sure they did love each other properly if you keep thinking they will split up..."

"Shut _up_!" Teddy yelled, clamping his hands over his ears. "Shut up, shut up, shut up..."

"Defense office, Teddy Bear." Victoire reminded him firmly, ignoring his outburst.

Breath heavy with anger, close to a snarl, Teddy forced his legs into action and he made his way towards his father's office. When he reached the door he listened, expecting to hear raised voices. There was silence.

"Go on!" Victoire hissed from behind him, jabbing a finger into his back.

Teddy took a large breath and reached for the door handle. The sound of the blood pulsing through him was all he could hear as he opened the door and took a small step inside.


	16. How I Met Your Mother

_Note: Hello everybody! I hope I have updated nice and quickly this time, I just posted the chapter before and I am aware that you will all hate me for it's cliffhanger! Please don't hate me! Let's face it, you wouldn't come and read the next chapter if the cliffhangers weren't there! This chapter is dedicated to **charmerpowerofsisters3** who has written me 35 reviews today (and I think I'm still counting...!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns everything. _

**16: How I Met Your Mother**

Despite the sound of the door swinging shut behind him, Teddy found that his parents appeared oblivious to his presence. The boy's eyes darted back and forth between the two, heart still racing.

Remus stood leaning against the desk, an oddly calm expression on his face as he held his arms out to his wife, as if he were governed by blind faith. Looking at Tonks however, Teddy was not sure that such faith would prevail. Teddy held his breath. He did not want them to hear him, to disrupt their intense concentration as they eyed one another, calculatingly. Long minutes seemed to pass and Teddy wondered if Remus' arms were aching yet. Then, quite suddenly, Tonks let out a huge breath and practically launched herself forward, into her husband's outstretched arms.

"You're an idiot, Remus." Teddy heard her announce into the folds of his father's robes.

"I know." Remus agreed, as he wrapped his arms firmly around her, pressing a kiss onto the top of her head.

Teddy let out the breath he had been holding and at the sound of it Remus glanced over Tonks' head to look at him. To Teddy's surprise, the werewolf offered him a smile.

"Such a bloody idiot!" Tonks said, drawing away from his shoulder to kiss his cheek. To Teddy's relief his father refused to return the gesture, instead he continued to stare at his son. After a long moment Tonks too turned to look at him. Immediately she released Remus and hurried over to him, enveloping him in a bear-like hug.

"What am I supposed to do with the pair of you?" She asked, swaying slightly at her abrupt halt.

"Let me see?" Teddy suggested boldly, teeth clenched as he waited for her to shout her disapproval.

But instead Tonks froze and he was met with a long silence.

"Please?" He added after she said nothing for over a minute. He tried to shoot his father a look pleading for support, but Remus simply stared, denying him help. Clearly he believed he had pressed the issue much too far already. Perhaps he feared being hexed into oblivion, Teddy mused, smiling at the thought despite himself.

"Okay then." Tonks' voice startled him from his thoughts and he wondered if he had heard her correctly.

"Huh?"

His mother drew back from him and attempted a smile. It was horribly fake, Teddy could see that, but he appreciated her trying.

"I said okay then." She clarified, glancing over at Remus to see his reaction. Her husband let out a small sigh, as if pleased at last, yet his posture stiffened, his hands returning to grip the desk behind him. "Where is it?" She asked him, letting go of Teddy.

"In that box." Remus mumbled, nudging the object with his foot. He did not move to retrieve the pensieve himself, as if he were suddenly reluctant.

Tonks strode over to the box and stooped to open it. She paused, gazing into the swirling silvery mass inside the basin before lifting it up and placing it onto the desk. The three Lupins gathered around the desk in silence, staring.

"So…what exactly is…in there?" Tonks said at last, looking up at her husband.

"Well…I guess I didn't want Teddy to think it was always…bad…the good's in there too."

Tonks relaxed slightly at this and even managed a small smile.

"What's first?" She asked, and Teddy thought she even sounded slightly excited now.

"Your first Order meeting, when we first met." Remus told her, positively grinning at the thought. The sudden change in him surprised Teddy somewhat.

"When you said you wanted to show him everything, you weren't kidding…" Tonks observed, but she grinned back. "Alright then, let's go!"

Teddy felt both of his parents grip hold of his arm and before he knew it the three of them were falling…

They were standing in a dimly lit living room, full of faded chairs and a grand looking fireplace, where flames danced merrily in a vain attempt to cheer up their surroundings. Remus was sitting in a chair by the fire, reading.

Teddy studied the Remus in the chair before turning to look at his father who stood just behind him. The younger Remus' hair was much less gray, yet he was thinner, pale as though ill. His clothes were patched and faded. Teddy had been perfectly aware that his father had spent the majority of his life barely scraping a living, but he still felt saddened to see the evidence of this first hand.

Just then a door opened behind them and Teddy turned and to find himself looking into the face of Sirius Black. He had unkempt black hair and sunken eyes, yet they twinkled nevertheless. He bounded across the room excitedly, grinning from ear to ear, and clamped a hand down onto Remus' shoulder, making the werewolf look up from his book somewhat reluctantly.

"Moony, mate!" The man cried, seizing the book that Remus held in his hands and snatching it away. "Get downstairs, she'll be here any minute!"

"The meeting isn't for half an hour, Padfoot." Remus reminded him, making no attempt to retrieve the book.  
Teddy took a few steps forward and studied the younger Remus' face more closely. There were dark circles under his eyes and he sat slumped, as if merely sitting took effort.

"When was the last full moon?" He asked quietly to his father, who had followed him forward.

"The night before." Older Remus told him as Tonks stepped forward too, hugging her husband's arm tightly.

"Oh…"

"Make an effort, Remus!" Sirius demanded, tossing the book onto another dusty armchair. "This is my little cousin we're talking about here, I wanted you to come meet her with me! I've not seen her since she was tiny!"

Younger Remus sighed heavily, but gripped the arms of his chair, heaving himself to his feet. He stumbled into his friend, who quickly grabbed him by the shoulders, steadying him.

"Tough show, last night." The Azkaban escapee observed, as Remus planted his feet more firmly on the floor.

"Wasn't so bad." The werewolf insisted gruffly, reaching to push his friend's hands off of him.

"Yeah?" Sirius looked disbelieving. It was strange, Teddy thought. He had heard many things about his father's best friend, but a caring side had never been mentioned much. Of course he had cared, Teddy recalled Remus telling him some years before, but he did not show it too literally.

"Yeah." Remus insisted, swaying slightly where he stood.

"You can't stand straight, mate, don't try and tell me it wasn't so bad…"

"Look Padfoot, I'm fine. I'm going to come downstairs and meet your cousin, happy?!"

The somewhat manic grin reappeared on Sirius' face and he turned, bounding back towards the door, Remus following him at a much more subdued pace.

"It's going to be great!" Sirius announced as he pulled the door open.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that." Remus told him as he too reached the door. "She's probably a complete headcase. Related to you, after all…"

"Oh ha ha, Moony! Very funny! Grow a proper sense of humor, won't you? Else she'll think you're a right miserable git. She'd be right, I guess, but it would be nice if you could fool her…"

The two disappeared out through the door and the three Lupins followed, Tonks sniggering somewhat mockingly as her husband avoided her gaze.

Two staircases later they watched Remus stumble on a bottom step, knocking over a oddly shaped lump of china that was perhaps supposed to be ornamental. As it smashed on the floor a high pitch shriek erupted from the end of the hallway and Teddy clamped his hands over his ears.

"Filth!" The voice cried. "Mudbloods! Traitorous scum!"

Feeling positively alarmed as Sirius swore loudly and bolted towards the source of the noise, Teddy glanced over his shoulder to see his parents smiling almost fondly at the sound. Teddy leaned to peer over the banister and could see Sirius wrestling with a pair of curtains as a portrait of a pop-eyed old woman continued to hurl insults. Above the chaotic shouting came the sound of somebody knocking on the door.

"Get the door will you, Moony?!" Sirius shouted, and Remus headed stiffly to the door and pulled it open.

There stood Tonks, eyes wide as saucers as she surveyed the bizarre scene before her. She looked no different than the woman stood behind him, Teddy decided, her hair was the same bright pink and she wore the scarlet robes of an Auror over a pair of faded jeans and alarmingly bright purple t shirt. The only difference that Teddy could see what that her robes lacked the black trim of a head of department. At Sirius' cry of "_shut up you old hag_!" as he managed to force the curtains closed, she smiled.

"Looks like my sort of place." She decided aloud, before her eyes came to rest on the man before her. "Hi..." She greeted cheerfully, sticking out her hand. "I'm Tonks."

"Remus." The werewolf returned, shaking her hand. "Come on in..."

"Moony!!" Sirius bellowed as he stomped towards them. "You clumsy git..." He halted his complaints abruptly at the sound of another crash. Tonks had tripped over the troll foot umbrella stand. Remus grabbed hold of her arm to keep her upright, but found himself tumbling right after her. As the portrait began to shriek again Sirius offered his cousin a hand and she pulled herself to her feet.

"Moony's not usually this pathetic." Sirius assured her, hauling his best friend to his feet somewhat roughly. "He had a rough night, that's all."

"You make me sound like some sort of alcoholic." Remus complained, leaning against the wall in attempt to hide his unsteadiness. "Which is rather ironic, because _you_..."

"Tonks!" Sirius cried loudly, throwing his arms around his cousin and hugging her fiercely. "Get the portrait, Moony mate!" He shot over his shoulder as he dragged Tonks away towards the stairs to the basement kitchen. Tonks glanced over her shoulder at the werewolf.

"Is he alright?" Teddy heard her whisper to Sirius. "He doesn't look so good..."

"Oh he's fine, Moony's always fine..." Sirius assured her cheerfully, not giving his best friend a second glance.

As they disappeared down the stairs Teddy watched Younger Remus let out a huge sigh, shoulders slumped. After a moment he slowly stood up straight and headed towards the portrait, pulling his wand from his pocket. After giving it a sharp flick and mumbling a spell silence fell upon the hallway.

"I never knew you could do it like that!" Older Tonks exclaimed, rounding on her husband, hands on hips. "You always used to let me struggle with those bloody curtains!"

Older Remus merely looked smug.

"Shall we?" He asked, nodding towards the door that his younger self was heading through.

They entered the dingy kitchen just behind Younger Remus in time to hear Sirius announce:

"Yeah, he's a werewolf."

He was sat, feet up on the table, chair teetering on two legs as he leaned backwards, arms folded across his chest.

Younger Remus froze, as if he were considering turning and fleeing back upstairs.

"Really?" Younger Tonks said, sounding only slightly surprised. "Geez, Sirius, you're a right git!"

Sirius' features clouded with confusion and Younger Remus looked rather bemused too.

"I am?"

"Well yeah!" Tonks continued, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Dragging him downstairs to do stuff for you when it's only just been full moon!"

"How d'you know it was full moon?!" Sirius asked, as if he were about to claim it hadn't been.

"I don't wear these robes for fun, you know!" Tonks told him with a grin. "Werewolves aren't usually dealt with by the Auror Department, but we run into some of them on occasion. Last night was one of those occasions." Her face contorted in disgust. "That Greybeck's stirring stuff up."

"Yeah, he's a nasty bit of work." Sirius agreed. "He bit Remus." He added casually, and Younger Remus stiffened considerably. Teddy heard Older Remus mutter a particularly rude name under his breath. Older Tonks elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

Younger Tonks appeared not to hear what Sirius had said. She pulled out a chair next to her and smiled at Younger Remus.

"C'mon Remus, sit down." She said brightly. "Then Sirius can make us a cup of tea."

Younger Remus raised an eyebrow and strode over to the kettle.

"Sirius make tea? No, Tonks I'm not sure he's capable. Don't worry though," he offered her a warm smile over his shoulder as he drew out his wand, setting the kettle to boil. "I'll make you tea."

The pair smiled at each other for what seemed like a very long moment, before Remus finally turned his full attention to the kettle. Younger Tonks chewed a nail thoughtfully, still very much staring.

All of a sudden, the scene began to shift and dissolve until Teddy and his parents were standing somewhere new...


	17. The Card

_Note: Thanks to everybody who left me a review! I know I probably thank you ever time I post a new chapter, but I really do mean it, thank you very much! Any scenes from Remus and Tonks' past that you would love to see? Let me know and they might just be here )._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does. _

**17: The Card**

Teddy found himself standing in the dusty living room once again, but this time it had four occupants. Sirius was sat in the chair Remus had sat in in the previous memory, a bottle of firewhiskey balanced precariously between his knees. On the moth-eaten sofa sat Tonks and a witch Teddy did not recognize. Remus was clearing away the pieces from a chest board in the corner.

"I hate Valentine's Day!" The witch next to Tonks complained loudly, digging her booted toe into the faded carpet in irritation. "I never get a card, let alone taken out for dinner!"

"Don't worry, Hestia!" Sirius said to her, taking a swig from his bottle. "I don't get asked out much either these days."

Teddy noted that Hestia did not seem at all comforted by this comment.

"At least you aren't stuck on guard duty tonight!" Tonks reasoned, though she didn't sound all that disappointed. "Remus and I will be just as bored as you, probably more so..."

"You and Moony are _both_ on guard tonight?!" Sirius cried, twisting in his chair suddenly to stare at Tonks, narrowly avoiding slopping firewhiskey down his front. "Well, well! Sounds a bit like a _date_ if you ask me!"

"Nobody _is_ asking you, Padfoot." Remus pointed out quietly from his corner as he studied a pawn rather intently. He placed this final piece away in a draw and reached to pick up a book that lay on the sideboard. As he picked it up an envelope fell out onto the floor. He stooped to retrieve it.

"Yes, Sirius," Tonks was saying, her voice laced with sarcasm. "The Department of Mysteries is, after all, one of the most romantic places to go on Valentine's..."

"Padfoot!" Remus' irritated voice cut her off and she turned to look at him. "Is this your idea of a joke?" He asked Sirius, striding forward and waving the now opened envelope under the other man's nose. Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.

"Nope." He offered Remus a wide grin. "I bet if you ask Tonks though, you might find it suits her humor better than mine."

Teddy watched Remus' eyes widen in realization and his cheeks immediately flushed crimson. Laughter sounded from behind the boy and he glanced round to find his father laughing. How strange, Teddy mused, to laugh at yourself. Younger Remus appeared to be very much alarmed by what Sirius was suggesting, yet he composed his features and turned slowly to look at Tonks, who was observing him somewhat anxiously, bottom lip caught between her teeth. The pair stared at each other, calculating, before Sirius broke the tension by sticking his foot forward and stamping it down, crushing his best friend's foot. Remus winced and then a strained smile spread across his face.

"Thanks Tonks." He managed. Despite the strain on his face, Teddy couldn't help but get the impression that he was being sincere, even if Sirius had to prompt him to be so.

A loud wolf whistle and hysterical laughter from Sirius' chair immediately shattered the atmosphere.

"Shut up, Sirius!" Tonks demanded, rising to her feet. "You're just jealous! Don't worry, Dung might have a little something for you later, you never know..." She made her way towards the door, offering Remus a grin. "Maybe I should have put it somewhere Sirius wasn't going to see it." She mused, laughing at her own stupidity. "See you guys later."

As the door shut behind her Sirius immediately stopped laughing. There was a long silence.

"You know, Moony," Sirius said, tracing the top of his bottle with a finger as if thoughtful. "You could have tried being a tad more enthusiastic or something. You carry on like this, you'll upset her."

"Don't be stupid Padfoot." Remus said, shaking his head as he sat down next to Hestia. He sighed heavily. "This has all got to stop." He decided aloud. But at the same time, Teddy saw him slip the card back inside his book, running a thumb down it's edge as if stroking it fondly.

"What are you gonna do?" Hestia asked, sounding excited at the prospect of drama.

"Tell her werewolves have fleas, that ought to put her off." Sirius suggested brightly, taking another swig of drink.

Remus shot him a glare.

"I don't think that will be necessary." He told his friend. "The whole werewolf thing ought be enough in itself..."

"Tonks doesn't care about that." Hestia pointed out rather unhelpfully. "She's said so plenty of times."

"Well she should care!" Remus insisted, placing the book firmly down beside him.

"If I were you mate, I'd just go along with whatever she says, you could get _lucky_!" Sirius winked slyly before letting out a barking laugh.

"This is your cousin we're talking about here, Padfoot." The werewolf reminded him icily. "Don't talk like that about her. Or me." He added, looking more disgusted still. He rose to his feet and headed towards the door.

"Oi, Moony!" Sirius' voice made him pause halfway through the door.

"What?" Came his sharp reply.

Sirius' face suddenly lost all of it's humor.

"You're right, she _is_ my baby cousin." He said seriously, fixing his friend with a piercing gaze. "Don't even _think_ about taking my advice, else I swear I'll hex your ba..."

"_Thank you_, Padfoot." Remus interrupted swiftly, scowling even more. "Like I said, this just all needs to stop." With that he left the room, and Teddy found Sirius' laughter echoing as the scene shifted once more...


	18. Born of Loss

_Note: Hi there! I've not updated since....forever! I have much too much work on my hands these days, but here is an update for you at last! Any lack of accuracy during the first memory is entirely my fault, blame me if you will! I admit that it has been a while since I read that scene. If it's all terribly wrong, I'll claim that it is artistic license! _

_Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter!_

**18: Born of Loss**

His father's laughter came to an abrupt halt when the next scene settled in place and Teddy glanced behind him to see Tonks reach and grip Remus' hand. The boy's attention was abruptly drawn elsewhere as a series of crashes and shouting rang in his ears. At the sight of curses streaking past him from the wands of a group of sinister looking figures, Teddy found himself backing off until he felt his mother put an arm around his shoulders. From further back Teddy was able to try and take in the scene before him. Clearly they had arrived in the midst of a battle and to his alarm the boy spotted his father's younger self stood in the center of the room, dueling furiously with one of the sinister wizards.

"I'm not sure about this, Remus." Teddy heard his mother complain to his father.

"Is this what I think it is…?" Teddy asked her when Remus did not grace her with an answer.

As they watched Sirius join Younger Remus in the center of the room and the two Maruaders continued to bombard their opponents with spells, Tonks answered.

"Yeah, this is the Department of Mysteries. Remus, I really think we shouldn't…" Her voice was drowned out by the sound of a high pitched cackle and Teddy looked across the chaotic room in time to see a pair of witches ending their duel. With a gasp he reached to grip hold of his mother's hand at the sight before him. Crazed and wild, Bellatrix Lestrange stood atop a flight of stairs, laughing victoriously as Younger Tonks crashed down the stairs, lifeless as a rag doll.

"Enough of this, Remus!" Older Tonks yelled, reaching to clamp her hands over her son's eyes. "It's too much for him!"

"I…I thought I'd taken it out." Teddy heard his father explain weakly. "I was sure of it!"

"Well bloody do something!" Tonks cried, yet Remus appeared equally as traumatized by the sight as his son was.

Staring into the blackness of Tonks' hands, Teddy felt surprised to heard a younger voice thrown into the mix.

"Who's that?!" He asked, feeling suddenly curious despite his horror. "Was that Harry?!" He reached to pull Tonks' hands from his face, ignoring her protests as he regained his sight.

He was right. It was Harry. Harry shouting as a spell struck his godfather square in the chest. Teddy's mouth fell open in shock as he watched Sirius fall into the Veil, Bellatrix's piercing cackle ringing in his ears once again. As the Death Eater seemed to skip off across the room, singing her own praises, Teddy watched in horror as Younger Remus seized Harry around the waist in a feeble attempt to stop the teenager running after her. The pain on both of their faces sent a shudder up Teddy's spine and he had a huge urge to run and throw his arms around his father as Harry got free of the werewolf's grasp, leaving him to sink to his knees, head bowed as if defeated. Teddy jumped with surprised as a curse shot past him, speeding towards Younger Remus who seemed lost to the world until it missed him by mere inches. The despair evaporated from his face, replaced by a cold, stoic mask. He rose to his feet, wand gripped firmly in his hand, before dashing forward to rejoin the fray.

And with that, the scene dissolved.

A dark, drab room with peeling paint and damp on the walls. A thin beam of sunlight penetrated the gloom through a small gap in the moth eaten curtains that shielded the world outside from the room's squalor. Teddy wrinkled his nose at the smell of the place, leading him to wonder just what was festering in the corners and behind the furniture. The silence, such a contrast from the chaos of the previous memory, was unsettling, but was broken by the sound of breaking glass making the boy jump. His eyes came to rest on the floor beside a bed that took up a third of the cramped space. A small smashed bottle lay there, seeping a thick, murky looking substance over the bare floorboards. Moving his gaze upwards Teddy found Younger Remus lying on his front, one arm hanging from the bed, face buried in a pillow.

"What's that?" Teddy asked, pointing at the grotesque liquid on the floor.

"It was supposed to be a sleeping draught." His father recalled sheepishly, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at the floor.

"Supposed to be…?"

"Well I bought it from an apothecary…they were selling it cheap because it was a dodgy batch…it was the best I could afford at the time."

"Ridiculous, it's as likely to poison you as it is to put you to sleep!" Tonks scolded, and as if to demonstrate the idea Younger Remus let out a small groan as he shifted on the bed.

"I was desperate." Older Remus explained.

"You could have asked me to make it, or Molly…"

"As I recall, Dora, we've had this conversation before."

Tonks opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by a loud knock on the door.

Younger Remus rolled over on the bed and pulled the pillow over his head. There came another knock on the door, accompanied by a familiar voice.

"Remus?!"

The werewolf remained silent, shifting further towards the wall.

"I know you're in there!" Tonks' voice called impatiently. "Aberforth snitched on you to Kingsley!"

Younger Remus let out a huge sigh, which promptly turned into a strangled gagging noise. Alarmed, Teddy watched the wizard hastily haul himself up into a sitting position, clamping a hand to his mouth as he struggled to stay quiet.

"See, bloody poisonous!" Older Tonks hissed disapprovingly as her younger self hammered on the door again.

"Remus? Are you okay…? Oh bugger this! I'm coming in, you best be decent!" With that there came a loud cracking noise before the door was blasted open to reveal Younger Tonks, her wand thrust forward purposefully. At the sight of Younger Remus doubled over on the bed, face fast turning purple, the Auror let out a high pitched shriek of shock and dashed to his side, reaching to wrench his hands from his face. "Oh Merlin, what happened?!" She cried, taking a small step back as she struggled against his panicked hands reaching for his throat. At the crunch of glass under her foot she looked down at the remains of the botch potion. "What the bloody hell have you done?!" She shrieked in agitation. "Did you bloody _drink_ that?!"

When Younger Remus merely continued to retch, gripping hold of her hands in panic, she gripped his hands back, taking a few large breaths as if to calm herself down.

"Look at me, Remus." She instructed firmly, and the wizard stared at her, wide eyed and wheezing . "Good, now I need to know, did you drink that potion?"

Younger Remus gave a startled nod and she nodded too as if to confirm her understanding.

"Okay, try and keep breathing nice and slow, alright? Breathe in…breathe out…that's right, now don't move! I'll be right back!"

Teddy watched her dash from the room and she returned within moments with a glass filled with a deep amber liquid. She proceeded to insist that Younger Remus drink it. Before Teddy could ask his mother what the liquid was, Younger Remus' face contorted in disgust and he made a dive for the edge of the bed. Teddy screwed his eyes shut at the sound of the werewolf vomiting on the faded rug at the end of the bed. Teddy opened his eyes in time to see Younger Remus flop down on the covers with a groan.

"What in Merlin's name was that?" He asked Younger Tonks groggily, as the Auror looked positively relieved.

"Aberforth's finest, according to Dung. I think it's a small step back from that stuff the Muggles put in their cars…what's it called…? Yeah, petroleum, that's it."

"Oh Merlin." Younger Remus groaned, clamping his arms over his head.

They were silent for a long moment as Younger Tonks bent down to examine the potion on the floor.

"So…what's that masquerading as?" She asked quietly.

"Sleeping draught."

"Oh. Did you make it?"

Younger Remus rolled over so that he had his back to her.

"Just kidding. You know, Remus, you should've just asked me or Molly to make it if you needed it that badly."

He merely grunted.

"I mean look at you, it could've killed you!"

"Don't be melodramatic Tonks, I knew it wouldn't kill me."

"How come? You do this often?"

When he didn't reply she banished the mess with a mutter and flick of her wand before coming to perch on the bed beside him.

"Sleeping draught, huh?" She mused, biting her lip. "It's still difficult, then." Again he did not reply so she tried to think of something comforting to say. "Y'know, sitting up here all day isn't going to help. Molly's doing dinner tonight, you should come eat with us all."

He sighed heavily at the suggestion and shook his head.

"We need to all stay together Remus. We're stronger that way. Sirius would want it like that."

At the sound of Sirius' name, Younger Remus' hands came to clutch clumps of his hair and his breath shuddered as if he were on the verge of tears.

"You don't want to talk about it." Younger Tonks said knowingly, staring at the back of his head miserably. "That's okay, I dunno that I can much either. I miss him, after I just found him again…" Tears gathered in her eyes and she struggled not to cry. "When I was sad, he used to give me a hug. I used to think it so weird, _Sirius Black_ giving me a _hug_!" She remembered, voice a pitch higher than usual at the memory.

At last Younger Remus turned back to face her, he looked as if he was amused by the idea but could not bring himself to smile.

"When I was sad, he used to accuse me of being a miserable git and tell me to get over it." He recalled quietly, and Tonks offered him a tiny smile.

"That sounds more like our Sirius." She decided.

There was silence again as they stared at each other, then Younger Remus asked:

"Did it work?"

"Did what work?"

"The hug."

"Oh…" Younger Tonks smiled again. "Yeah, yeah it did."

At last he smiled back at her for a brief moment. But it was not long before he had buried his face in the duvet again and his shoulders shook silently in misery.

Teddy felt a lump in his throat, as he observed the sorry scene. After a minute or so, Younger Tonks sighed and, biting her lip as if afraid, swung her legs up onto the bed. Wordlessly she lay down next to Younger Remus and, hesitating ever so slightly, put her arms around him. There they stayed for many more minutes before she asked:

"Is it working?"

"A little." He admitted.

"Only a little? Perhaps we could try the other method." Her hand came to rest on his shoulder and she gave him a little shake. "Pull yourself together, Moony, you miserable git!" She snapped, causing him to chuckle beneath his tears. After a little pause she asked him if it had worked.

He shifted and put his arms tightly around her, crushing her to him as if afraid to let go of her.

"I think the first worked better." He told her softly, tears seeping from her eyes, dampening her t-shirt.

"Oh, good." She said, voice breaking slightly as she shed tears of her own.

There they lay in a vain attempt to find solace, desperate yet cautious, and as the scene dissolved before his eyes Teddy felt their sadness weigh heavily on him too.


	19. Going Once

_Note: Yes, I too noticed loads of grammatical errors in the last chapter! I am sorry if they traumatized anybody in any way, I will go through and change them some time soon! I only seem to notice them AFTER I have updated =S. Don't hate me!! =)_

_Reviews for this chapter will be welcomed with open arms, as I am not that sure about it! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns it all._

**19: Going Once...**

The next scene was brighter, busier, and much more pleasant for Teddy to watch. He found himself standing in the kitchen of the Burrow, and around the long kitchen table sat an assortment of members of the Order of the Phoenix. Teddy spotted Younger Remus sat at the end closest to where he stood watching with his parents. Molly Weasley was attempting to persuade him to accept another spoonful of mashed potato to add to the mountain that already adorned his plate.

"You need to keep your strength!" She insisted, brandishing a spoon in what seemed close to a threatening manner. Younger Remus looked as if he were about to give in for fear of her wrath, but Molly's attention was abruptly diverted at the sound of the back door being flung open.

"Sorry I'm late! Bloody Umbridge poking her nose about..." announced Younger Tonks as she stumbled over the threshold, grabbing hold of the door frame to stop herself from tripped.

"I hope you told her where to stick it!" a young Charlie Weasley told her from his seat at the other end of the room.

"I sincerely hope not!" a gruff voice barked from the chair next to the fiery haired young man. Mad-Eye Moody shot Younger Tonks an accusing look with both eyes as she stepped further into the kitchen, pulling the cloak from her shoulders. "It is vital, Nymphadora, absolutely vital, that you keep your head down! We cannot have our position within the Ministry compromised..."

"Don't panic Mad-Eye!" Tonks interrupted, sounding immensely bored by his lecturing. "I didn't say anything to her, stupid toad-faced hag...Remus!" Her voice brightened considerably and she practically skipped across the kitchen towards him, narrowly avoiding knocking the tray of muffins Mrs Weasley was carefully extracting from the oven.

"Hello." Younger Remus greeted, smiling as she came to a skidding halt beside his chair with a huge grin spreading across her face.

"Wotcher!"

"How was work?"

"Unbelievably dull. How was sitting around getting spoiled by Molly all day long?"

Younger Remus gave a modest shrug.

"It was okay." he told her, reaching to pull a chair out from under the table.

Younger Tonks threw him a mock-jealous glare as she collapsed into the chair.

"Admit it Remus. It was great and I would have loved it."

"It was okay." he insisted, voice quieter than before. Teddy watched him let out smallest of sighs before reaching to hold her hand under the table.

As she bustled up behind the pair with the freshly baked muffins now on a plate, Molly paused ever so slightly to stare at their intertwined fingers. As she set the plate down before them on the table, she was grinning from ear to ear. Teddy heard his mother giggling behind him. When he looked round at his parents he found his father shaking his head at the sight.

"Christmas come early for Molly." the werewolf muttered, sounding both amused and exasperated. "Merlin I thought she was going to blast me straight through the back door when I told her we'd split up!"

Beside him, Tonks laughed harder still.

"Yeah...d'you remember when she used to fix the timetable so we were on guard duty together?"

Before Remus could reply, a loud exclamation from the table in front of them drew their attention back to the scene they were witnessing.

"It's an outrage!" Moody roared, banging a gnarled fist on the table. "It's no register, it's a hit-list! Mark my words, they'll be coming for every single one of them!"

"You'd have to be mad to let them make you sign it." Bill Weasley agreed from beside Younger Remus. When Bill turned abruptly to face him, the werewolf kept his gaze firmly on the plate of muffins in front of him. "You haven't...I mean you didn't sign anything, did you Remus?"

Younger Remus shrugged without looking up.

"No, but I don't supposed it matters." he said grimly, ignoring Younger Tonks as her other hand came to rest on his arm. "They already know I'm a werewolf. They don't need a signature to prove that. They did write to me, though. They claim it's for protection..."

"Protection?!" Moody spat, causing Hestia Jones to jump in her seat, spilling tea into her lap. "Who'd they think they're kidding?!"

"A lot of people, actually." Younger Tonks said darkly, shifting closer to Younger Remus, intent on comforting him. He edged away as if embarrassed by the attention. "Loads of people have allowed themselves to be registered already, it's only been a week."

As Moody began a rant on the failings of the Ministry and his disgust at the introduction of the Werewolf Registry, Teddy watched Younger Remus pretend to listen, managing to appear remarkably interested. How did he do that?! Teddy wondered. Even Older Remus and Tonks seemed to have failed to listen for more than a minute for they were having a whispered conversation of their own just behind him. Teddy supposed it only fair that they should have to be fully subjected to such a talk only once in their lifetime.

What seemed like a century later, having finally finished his ranting, Moody announced that he was leaving. He heaved himself up out of his seat and made his way towards the door, offering Mrs Weasley a few gruff words of thanks as he pulled the door open. As he stepped out into the failing early evening light the grizzled old Auror threw one last looked over his shoulder at those gathered around the table. Both eyes came to rest on Younger Remus, who returned the stare evenly.

"You watch yourself, Lupin." Moody barked, scarred face stern. "They'll be coming for you I daresay..."

"_Bye_ Mad-Eye." Younger Tonks called to him meaningfully, causing his brow to twitch in irritation. His magical eye swivelled to watch her, yet she merely offered it a bright smile.

"Constant Vigilance!" he snapped, directing his words at the group in general. With a stiff nod, he turned and disappeared out the door.

As Younger Tonks rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh, Younger Remus looked disapproving.

"He's right, you know." he told her quietly, releasing her hand and reaching for a muffin.

"I never said he wasn't," she said, pulling the remains of his sausage and mash potato mountain towards her and taking up a fork. "But who cares? They'll be after the lot of us soon enough! We're all members of the Order, the Death Eaters want every one of us dead, werewolf or not!" She stabbed at a sausage, impaling it on the fork with much more force than was necessary.

"True." Younger Remus acknowledged, peeling off the muffin's paper casing. As he paused to examine the cake, she sniggered and shook her head.

"It's finally happening." she observed as he took a bite, turning to frown at her as he chewed.

"Mm?"

"You're turning into a paranoid old git like Mad-Eye."

Teddy watched Younger Remus swallow the cake and the boy waited for some sort of witty remark to escape the werewolf's lips, just as it would when Tonks would tease him years in the future when they were married. But Younger Remus merely smiled apologetically before stuffing the remainder of the muffin into his mouth and rising to his feet.

"Where d'you think you're rushing off to?" Younger Tonks asked him, and he did not reply as he took his empty mug and deposited it in the sink. Having finished the muffin as he returned to push his now vacant chair under the table, an eyebrow raised in amusement.

"_Really_, Nymphadora, when do _I _ever have cause to rush off to anywhere?" he asked her, and Teddy watched her scowl at his use of her hated first name.

"Re-_mus_!" she cried, reaching to slap him lightly on the arm.

"Oh..." he hung his head as if deeply ashamed by his mistake, peering at her through his fringe looking like a scolded puppy. "Sorry, Tonks, I forgot."

"Sorry, Dora, I forgot." Teddy heard his father echo from behind him, tone laced with laughter as Older Tonks let out a sigh of irritation. Teddy laughed too, causing his mother to look even more annoyed. The boy was clearly much more amused than her to see that his father's scolded puppy routine had been a success even fifteen years in the past. It had to be a form of magic unto itself, Teddy mused with a grin. He would need to try and learn it, it could be useful one day.

Before Younger Tonks could say another word, Younger Remus headed off towards the sitting room door, hand grazing her shoulder as he passed.

Teddy and his parents followed him, the boy's interest heightened as they entered another familiar room that he was sure had hardly changed when he had been there himself many years in the future.

Younger Remus headed for a chair by the fire, furthest from the door and as he sat down he slumped back in the chair. He reached to press his fingers hard against his eyes, shaking his head as if trying to clear his mind. Teddy watched him reach into the pocket of his robes and draw out an envelope. The boy hurried forward and crouch down beside the chair so that he could look more closely at the letter that Younger Remus pulled from the envelope. The werewolf stared down at the elaborate flowing script that was printed neatly upon the parchment with a deep frown on his face. Laughter sounded from the other room and he looked over at the door, expression despairing as if he wished to go and join in with whatever was causing such cheer. Through the doorway Teddy spied Younger Tonks and Charlie Weasley by the sink. They appeared to be on the verge of beginning a small scale water fight, soap suds and all, but Teddy heard Mrs Weasley conveniently request that Charlie clear the table for her. In the next breath she suggested that Tonks didn't need to help, ("sit down and rest your feet, Tonks dear, you've been at work all day!").

Younger Remus was seen to smile to himself at this, but within moments he looked back at the letter held in his hands and his face fell again. He glared at the parchment, grip on it tight as if about to tear it in two, but at last he nodded.

"I'll do it." Teddy caught him whisper to himself under his breath, lips hardly moving and with that he got to his feet and strode purposefully over to a small writing desk that stood in the corner. "I could use something to do, anyway." Teddy heard him mutter, sounding bitter as he snatched up a piece of parchment and sat down on the stool before the desk. Teddy meant to turn and ask his father what "it" was, but he found himself determined not to miss a thing and he looked over Younger Remus' shoulder as he dipped a quill in the waiting ink and began to write.

_Dear Albus,_

_Firstly let me offer my apologies for such a late reply, however as you suggested this decision has required much thought._

Pausing in his writing Younger Remus glanced over his shoulder towards the door as once again laughter drifted in from the kitchen. Teddy too looked over to see Younger Tonks sat talking to Bill and Hestia, all three were smiling. Younger Remus turned away again, shoulders slightly hunched as if to prevent himself from being distracted again.

_I have concluded that, despite it's no doubt difficult nature, I shall accept the task handed to me in the hope that I may make some difference to our cause. I have yet to mention the nature of said task, or even that I will be undertaking it, to anybody as of yet and would be grateful if you could fail to mention it at the next Order meeting. Of course they shall all know soon enough, but I would like time to tell certain people individually, there is no doubt in my mind that there will be drama. I will meet with you at the suggested time and place. I hope this letter is delivered swiftly to you._

_All the best,_

_Remus_

Teddy had barely finished reading the letter before Younger Remus had it folded and in an envelope. The werewolf was in the middle of muttering a long list of incantations, wand tip pressed to the back of the envelope, when he heard the back door closing again. Quiet appeared to have fallen over the Burrow. It was then that Younger Tonks joined him in the room, footsteps more careful than usual as she tried best not to disturb him. She paused in the middle of the room, watching him as he finished whispering spells. Pocketing the letter he got to his feet, smiling when he caught sight of her.

"The others have all gone home." she told him, swaying from foot to foot as if the now calm atmosphere was too much for her to bear, "and Molly's found some silly excuse to go upstairs."

"Has she now?" he said, coming to a halt just in front of her, and his expression was the mirror of that Teddy had seen on Older Remus' face in the kitchen.

"Yep." Younger Tonks stopped her swaying and tiptoed a little closer until she were close enough for him to reach. Obligingly he consented to putting his arms around her, pulling her closer until he could lean his head against hers.

"How thoughtful of her."

"Yeah...although I reckon she gives a bit _too_ much thought to us. Especially now we're actually together."

Teddy watched alarm register on Younger Remus' face, which he couldn't help but find confusing.

"Why'd you look like somebody just struck you with a stinging jinx?" He whispered to his father who was now standing beside him. Remus opened his mouth to reply, but seemed unable to answer.

"Watch and learn." He replied at last, folding his arms and taking a step back so that he was no longer there to be questioned.

"Tonks?" Younger Remus mumbled, noticeably swallowing and looking nervous.

"Mm?" She acknowledged, voice muffled by his robes.

"Do you remember...that talk we had...when we were on guard duty...on Valentine's Day...?"

Younger Tonks pulled away from him so that she could look him in the eyes.

"Yes," she acknowledged bluntly. "Why?"

He opened his mouth to reply, but paused as if reluctant to explain, though apparently this alone was explanation enough.

"No. You're joking. You're...you're not...you're not actually..."

Younger Remus said nothing, but his gaze fell to the floor.

"...I mean...you're not seriously going to tell me...you...we..."

"Maybe we should sit down and talk about it..." he suggested quietly, putting an abrupt halt to her panicked stuttering.

Teddy watched as colour flushed her cheeks, her limp hands became fists and her hair went from pink to a confused mixture of grey and red. He bit his lip. Perhaps this had been what Younger Remus had meant by "drama" in his letter to Dumbledore.

"I don't want to sit and talk about it!!!" She screamed, making Teddy flinch. Younger Remus did no such thing, yet he did take the tiniest of steps backwards. "We've already talked about it!!! For hours!!!"

"I know, it's just...well...I think we should talk about it again."

"Why?!"

"Because...because..."

"Because you are going to change your mind!"

Teddy waited for him to deny that he was changing his mind on...whatever it was...but Younger Remus was silent. Younger Tonks' hair faded to a pitiful grey and as tears gathered in her eyes she turned her back on him to hide them. Younger Remus drew out his wand, pointing it at the open door he gave it a sharp flick and the door swung shut, then he added:

"_Muffliato_." Pocketing the wand he took a few cautious steps forward until he was just behind Younger Tonks. He reached and put a hand on her shoulder, a feeble attempt at comfort.

"I know you say it doesn't matter..."

"It doesn't! I told you..."

"...but look at where things are headed, it's all even worse! If you won't believe that I'm too dangerous, why don't you consider what I bring with me?" He slowly turned her back round to face him and she stared up at him through a watery veil. "If anybody were to find out about us, they'd sack you, they'd no doubt question you, they'd do Merlin knows what else!"

"They don't have to know."

"I wouldn't risk it."

"I would!"

"I wouldn't risk _you_. Besides, they have a point about werewolves being a waste of life, I mean look at me! I have no job, I have no money, I sit around doing nothing all day in somebody else's house because I don't have my own, eating somebody else's food because I can't get my own, I sleep in people's spare beds and, once a month, after spending the night caged in as the fanged dark creature that children see in nightmares, I spend hours, perhaps all day, bedridden and sickly..."

"Remus, _stop_!" Younger Tonks insisted miserably, looking ready to clamp her hands over her ears. "Sorry Tonks," he mumbled, sighing heavily.

"Let me make this perfectly clear," she told him slowly, voice shaking ever so slightly despite her resolve. "I. Do. Not. Care. I never have, I never will, it all means nothing to me. What does matter is that I love you. That is the only think that matters."

Teddy watched Younger Remus regard her solemnly as if he wished she hadn't said it. Then he said:

"I'm going away, Tonks."

Her eyes widened at this revelation and she backed off from him a few steps, stung.

"Away?" she whispered, the tears running freely down her face again.

"Yes. Dumbledore has a...mission for me."

When she merely looked at him expectantly, he sighed heavily and began to explain, sounding pained by the effort.

Teddy shared her horror at the news that he would be off to live amongst werewolves for months, despite having been aware that his father indeed had undertook such a mission. The boy watched despairingly as she panicked at the idea, stuttering "_oh Merlin no, no no no_" over and over until the stumbling words merged to a whimper of wretched misery.

Teddy watched her plead.

He watched her demand reason.

He watched her collapse into a chair.

He watched her sob.

He listened as Younger Remus tried best to apologize.

He watched him claim that it was what was best for her.

He heard her complain that he was the biggest noble prat she'd ever met and that she couldn't take another word from him.

Teddy watched him hang his head, ashamed, as he walked from the room. The door swung shut behind him with a soft click.

It was with a horribly sick feeling that Teddy Lupin witnessed the first time that his father left his mother.


	20. The Weasley Treatment

_Note: So here we go again! Thanks to those who have suggested memories they would like to see, I plan on attempting to include them! If anybody else has some suggestions, go ahead and tell me and I'll do my best to slip them in too! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**20: The Weasley Treatment**

Teddy found himself still in the Burrow when the next memory shifted into focus. They were back in the kitchen, yet it was lacking in Order members save Mrs Weasley and Younger Remus, the latter of whom appeared to have just stepped through the back door. As Mrs Weasley began to fuss over her guest, offering him a cup of tea and insisting that he sit down, Teddy observed his father's younger self with dismay. Of course by now Teddy was used to the patched, faded clothes and thinner frame, but he had to admit that Younger Remus' appearance seemed to have worsened considerably. He looked positively skeletal. There were dark circles under his eyes, his clothes hung limply from him and Teddy wondered when he had last had a shave.

"Merlin, look at you!" Mrs Weasley cried, pulling out her wand and giving the kettle on the stove a sharp tap. "What's Dumbledore thinking, sending you off like this! To live among...among...well..." She trailed off and hurried over to snatch up a pair of mugs from a cupboard. "Still, never mind dear, you're all in one piece! That'll put a smile on Tonks face at last, I daresay!" She commented brightly, patting her guest reassuringly on the arm as she made her way back to the kettle.

Teddy watched Younger Remus give a half-hearted nod at this comment.

"How is she?" the haggard werewolf asked, looking slightly abashed at his own question. "I mean _everybody_, how are they all?"

"Everybody's well and good!" Mrs Weasley assured him as she poured the tea. "A good sight better than you, from the looks of it!" she added darkly, making the smallest of smiles spread across his face. Teddy supposed he was touched at her concern, for he doubted there were many caring faces amongst Fenrir Greyback and the werewolves. But as soon as the smile appeared it was gone again, as he said:

"I'm perfectly well, Molly, honestly. Besides, if Dumbledore thinks it is necessary..."

"Yes, yes Remus, I know!" Mrs Weasley sighed heavily as she set a steaming hot mug of tea down on the scrubbed kitchen table before him. "It's just...well...it's just not right, you being out there with _them_."

Younger Remus opened his mouth to reply, only for the Weasley matriarch to hold up a hand to silence him as she took a seat opposite him. "Don't say it!" She instructed, sounding surprisingly threatening. "I won't hear of it, you're nothing like them and I won't hear a word! Not a single word!"

Quite sensibly, in Teddy's opinion, Younger Remus promptly shut his mouth obediently and reached for his tea.

As she peered at him through the soft wisps of steam rising from her own mug, Mrs Weasley said:

"They're not all perfectly well and good, you know."

Teddy joined her in watching Younger Remus' face to see his reaction, but as ever he merely fixed a neutral, slightly interested expression onto his face as he stared back at her.

"Oh Merlin!" a voice from behind Teddy cried, making the boy jump slightly. He glanced over his shoulder to see his mother standing with wide eyes and one hand over her mouth as if shocked. "She's not going to...is she? I mean I thought she'd have been a tad more diplomatic..."

From beside her, Older Remus shook his head. Teddy thought he looked remarkably apprehensive for one who knew exactly where the conversation was headed.

"In fact," Mrs Weasley was saying, causing Teddy to spin back round to watch, "Tonks is in a right state!" Her tone was decidedly accusing, Teddy noted, and from the slight clenching of his jaw, it appeared that Younger Remus had noticed this fact too.

"Really?" he asked, as if this were news to him, but Mrs Weasley set her mug firmly back down on the table and folded her arms across her chest.

"Yes, Remus, _really_. You wouldn't have any idea as to why she would be so down, would you?" It was not a question, neither was it a request. It was an order. _Tell me your crimes immediately_, it said, _or feel the fury of my wrath_!

Younger Remus was silent for a moment, considering his options Teddy would guess, before frowning deeply.

"I can't say I do, Molly. I've not spoken to Tonks..."

"No, you haven't." Mrs Weasley agreed bluntly. "Do you not think that may just perhaps have something to do with it?" she leant forward in her chair, closing in, ready for the kill. Teddy was sure that Younger Remus' chair moved back an inch or so in response. "How on earth do you think you can disappear off to Merlin knows where and simply not contact your girlfriend at all, not even write a single note and let her rely on what she hears from the rest of us is completely beyond me!"

At this, Younger Remus failed to maintain his usual composure, he looked utterly horrified.

"Molly...I...I..." he mumbled, desperate yet reluctant to offer her an explanation.

"You think I don't know?!" Mrs Weasley cried, throwing her hands up in the air impatiently. "I've known about you two since the time you both came for dinner with the others just after the Department of Mysteries! So don't give me that look! Tonks is your girlfriend, I know she is, we all know she is...yes Remus, the others have eyes too! But quite frankly I'm beginning to wonder what sort of relationship you think it is, because it's been weeks and weeks...!"

"That's the thing, Molly," Remus interrupted, sounding as though he had forced the words from his mouth. "It isn't any sort of relationship. After I agreed to go on this mission, we split up. I told Tonks it wasn't a good idea any more and..." he trailed off at the sight of Mrs Weasley's eyes widening to the size of snitches and her mouth dropping open, thunderstruck. His eyes were soon fixed on his mug of tea. Mrs Weasley looked as though she was about to shout, but she was silent, no doubt suppressing the urge, shaking her head.

"Remus," she said, voice suddenly close to a whisper. "You can't be serious, you were both so happy..." At the forlorn expression that he offered her in return, she reached to rub her forehead, frustrated by the whole situation.

"It was ridiculous, Molly, she's much better off without me now."

"Ridiculous?!" Her voice rose sharply, she was on the verge of shouting again. "You're the one being ridiculous! The girl's a wreck, Remus! An absolute wreck!"

"She's fine," Younger Remus insisted weakly, yet these two small words finally made Mrs Weasley crack.

"She is not in the least bit fine!" the rosy cheeked witch shouted, rising to her feet abruptly. "How she gets out of bed each morning is a mystery to me, looking at her! You've made the most stupid, foolish decision! Tonks needs you and you need her too, we're at _war_, Remus, this is no time to go breaking hearts because they are what keeps us going!" When Younger Remus merely stared at her, Mrs Weasley drew in a large breath, as if ready to have one last go at moving him. "Tonks has lost the ability to morph!" she cried, almost triumphant when she watched this fact sink in, causing Younger Remus to hang his head to hide his dismay. Just in case she hadn't made enough of an impact she added: "Now do you see what you've done?!"

"Oh Merlin..." Younger Remus whispered, hiding his face in his hands. "What _have_ I done?! I had no idea...all I heard was Kingsley noticed something odd about her patronus..."

"It's changed!" Mrs Weasley told him bluntly, sounding pleased that he had provided her with more ammunition for the barrage of guilt she was bombarding him with.

"Changed?"

"Yes! Changed! And you know about patronuses, don't you now Remus? You know why they might change..."

"Oh Merlin," Younger Remus whispered again, hands grasping fistfuls of hair in what Teddy did not doubt was a bout of severe self loathing.

"You're going to have to do something." Mrs Weasley told him, and he nodded numbly, Teddy was sure that he had been verbally beaten into submission and would no doubt agree to anything that she suggested. "You'll have to go see her and fix things."

"I don't know, Molly, she'll not want to see me..."

At this despairing, broken statement, the fire was extinguished from Mrs Weasley's voice.

"Don't worry, dear, you'll set things right. She loves you, after all." She leant across the table and patted him comfortingly on the arm. "Everything will be better. I never thought I'd say it, but I'll be glad to see that pink hair again."

The final comment coaxed a small smile onto Younger Remus' face as he finally lowered the hands from his face.

"I suppose I ought get a change of clothes first." he decided, sounding suddenly determined.

"Yes dear, that would be a good idea," Mrs Weasley agreed encouragingly, glancing over at his muddy robes that were fast approaching being refereed to as rags. "You go and change, and I'll make us another cup of tea."

As Younger Remus rose to his feet and made his way out of the kitchen, Teddy turned to find Older Tonks looking at her husband with a deeply sympathetic look.

"Merlin Remus!" she cried, as Older Remus consented to look suitably traumatized. "Poor, poor you! No wonder you made such an effort when you came, she gave you the full Weasley Treatment!"


	21. Tonks' Lullaby

_Note: Thanks once again to my wonderful reviewers! Exam season is almost over, so updates SHOULD be back to normal! Thank you for your patience._

_I hope I've got the timeline right again, I admit I've not read the books in a little while and have a rubbish memory!_

_I would love reviews for this chapter as I am not quite sure about it, thanks in advance!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns it all._

**21: Tonks' Lullaby**

And so it was that Teddy Lupin watched his father's younger self stood outside the door of a modest looking flat, apparently some hours later, wearing a freshly pressed set of robes, hair having been assaulted with a comb until it consented to looking slightly less chaotic, face still unshaven yet perfectly clean. The werewolf stood staring at the door before him for a long few moments, rocking back and forth on his heels apprehensively before raising a fist, drawing in a deep breath, and knocking.

There was no reply.

Younger Remus knocked again, louder.

"Tonks?" he called, leaning to press his ear to the door, listening for signs of movement from inside.

Again there was no reply.

"Tonks?!" he tried once again, before, rather reluctantly, trying: "…_Dora_?!"

When there was still no reply from inside the flat Teddy watched the bemusement on Younger Remus' face shift to worry. "Where are you?" he mumbled, turning away from the door and beginning to pace. "Molly said you'd be home, so where are you?" he reached into his pocket and drew out his wand, glancing up and down the corridor to ensure he was alone as he assured himself: "You're probably still out patrolling. That'll be it. Kingsley will know…_expecto patronum_!"

A bright silvery figure erupted from the end of his wand and streaked off down the corridor, disappearing through a wall. Younger Remus continued to pace up and down, mumbling reassuringly to himself.

Not soon after a glint of silver appeared at the end of the corridor and a shimmering lynx came swooping down the corridor, causing Younger Remus to halt his pacing abruptly.

"No need for hysteria, Remus my friend," came the deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt, sounding close to amused. "Tonks just stopped by the Ministry on her way home to pick up and thing or two. She says she should be home any moment now."

Younger Remus let out an audible sigh of relief, only for it to turn into a gasp of surprise as a quiet voice behind him said:

"You really did sound hysterical, you know."

He spun around to find Younger Tonks stood not far behind him, shoulders hunched, arms folded defensively across her chest as she stared at him in surprise.

Younger Remus looked abashed for a brief moment and Teddy watched his eyes slowly sweep over her, taking in her appearance.

Her hair was a dull, mousy brown that hung limply on her shoulders, her face pale, sickly, thinner than Teddy had ever seen it. She was terribly thin in general, actually, the boy noticed, feeling his stomach twist into knots. Having too noted these things, Younger Remus seemed to forget to feel embarrassed, instead he looked deeply dismayed. He was seen to swallow, composing himself ever so slightly.

"Hello..." he greeted quietly, as if he was suddenly unsure of why he was there at all.

"Hi." Tonks' greeting was equally feeble and she stood frozen to the spot for a long moment before shuffling forward forward, eyes downcast as if it were difficult to look at him. She drew her wand out from a deep pocket of her scarlet Auror robes and reached unsteadily to point it at the door. After mumbling a long cast of incantations and hearing a series of locks click, she reached to push the door open and step inside.

Younger Remus stood watching her, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Can...can I...?"

In reply she held the door open for him and as he stepped into the flat, Teddy and his parents hurried to follow.

They stepped directly into a small living room, squashy sofa before an empty fireplace, bookcase in a corner and a thick, bright, multicoloured rug which matched the curtains. Teddy was surprised as he gazed around his surroundings. He had imagined his mother's flat to be more cluttered, messy, but it was surprisingly sparse, save for a number of objects that had been discarded upon the sofa.

"I wish you were always this tidy." Older Remus whispered to his wife teasingly. She elbowed him gently in the ribs.

"It's only tidy because I was hardly ever at home! Besides, the kitchen..." she nodded towards the door that her younger self was heading towards, pulling off her robes and dumping them over the back of the sofa.

"Tea?" Younger Tonks offered, voice still quiet as Younger Remus stood just inside the door watching her.

Teddy had a strange urge to rolls his eyes. People always did that, he realised as Younger Remus murmured consent. Whenever things seemed bad they'd rush off to put the kettle on. As if it would solve anything.

Younger Tonks disappeared into the kitchen which, Teddy noted from his glimpse through the doorway, was stacked high with discarded plates and food packaging, much more the sort of thing he had expected. Alone in the living room, Younger Remus let out a sigh, clearly feeling at least a little relieved. He wandered over and picked up the discarded robes, about to turn back and hang them up on a hook by the door. But he paused where he stood, raised the scarlet material up and buried his face in it, breathing in deeply. Hands clutching the material as if afraid to let it go, he glanced over at the open kitchen door to see Younger Tonks had her back to him, searching for clean cups. He turned his attention back to the living room, eyes coming to rest on the objects that had been left on the sofa. His expression was more despairing than ever as he took them in.

A box of tissues, close to empty, used tissues scattered all over, and a small leather bound photo album from whose open pages his own face smiled up at him along with that of Sirius and Tonks, a snapshot in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Besides the album was a small battered cardboard box full of pages of parchment. Glancing to see Tonks still engaged in making the tea, he reached to pick up a handful of papers, looking down at them and finding them to be letters.

Teddy peered at the letters as Younger Remus glanced at each in turn, his expression becoming more and more grim at each he set eyes upon.

_Dear Nymphadora, I can assure you that Remus is in good health, I heard from him just this morning..._

_Dearest Tonks, Arthur tells me that Remus is perfectly fine...._

_..you really must come to dinner this Wednesday, Remus promised he would pop in and visit. I'm sure he would be glad to see you, after you were working late the last time..._

_...you don't even need to heat it up, so there is no excuse not to eat it. I'm afraid we have not heard from Remus just yet. But keep your spirits up, dear, I'm sure he is perfectly safe..._

_Dear Tonks, No, we have not heard from Remus this week..._

_...just a scratch or two, nothing to worry about at all, I promise you, don't worry about him..._

_...there was a death, but Dumbledore assures me that he has heard from Remus since, he says he was not even close by when it happened..._

_...we'd be so glad to have you. I know you say you have been busy, but really dear, Kingsley says you've skipped lunch every day for the past week and I insist upon a decent meal...._

At the sound of footsteps, Younger Remus let the papers fall back into the box and turned to see Younger Tonks making her way back into the room, two mugs of steaming tea in her hands.

Abandoning the robes, he accepted a mug from her with a mumbled thanks. They stood, her eyes fixed on her tea as he stared at her for a long moment, before he finally spoke.

"Was I really hysterical?" he asked quietly. Teddy supposed he could not quite decide on something more useful to say.

"Pretty much." Younger Tonks replied, peering up at him at last. "You were babbling so much we only caught half of it. You said you were _seriously_ concerned..." despite herself she sounded on the verge of sniggering at his bout of melodrama.

"Oh..."

Teddy half expected to see a sheepish grin spread across the werewolf's face, but Younger Remus instead pursed his lips together thoughtfully, still staring at the woman stood opposite him. There was a long silence.

"You're looking...well." Younger Tonks managed, not looking at him. She was saying it just for the sake of saying something, Teddy noted. It was obvious that she was lying, nobody could honestly say that Younger Remus looked _well_ just then, and it was clear that he was aware of this. He overlooked this, though, as he took a deep breath and said:

"You're not."

She immediately turned her back on him to hide her face, shoulders hunched once again. Guilt erupted in his eyes and he hurriedly moved to set his mug down on a little table beside the sofa before coming to stand just behind her. Her hands were trembling, she was close to slopping tea down her front.

"Should I take that for you?" he asked, reaching around her to pluck the mug from her hands. "That way you'll have both hands free to hit me or curse me into oblivion for being the world's biggest git." He turned and moved to set the mug down next to his own, finding that she had turned around to face him again, tears silently trickling down her pale face.

"I...I don't want to...to curse you or...or...I just..." her eyes widened in frustration as the sentence became more and more muddled. She halted abruptly and drew in a huge breath. "Thank Merlin!" She cried at last through her tears. "You're alright!" And with that she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her face in his robes.

He appeared momentarily stunned, unable to quite comprehend her lack of fury, but finally let out a huge sigh and put his arms tightly around her, forehead coming to rest on the top of her head.

"Look at you!" he complained, hold on her tightening. "Oh Merlin, just look at you, Dora, Molly's right, you're a bloody mess!"

This seemed to make her cry harder still, Teddy noted, having just got over the fact that his father had sworn. But Younger Remus seemed oblivious to the effect of his words, for his hands slowly moved down her body, testing, taking in the feel of ribs with a miserable frown.

"This is all my fault." he observed woefully, wrapping both arms around her, unable to bear the feeling any longer.

"It doesn't matter," she told him, voice muffled by his robes. "You're here. You're here, I'm here, it's all fine now..."

"I'm sorry, Dora, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"Shut up, Remus!" Younger Tonks demanded through her tears, drawing back from him so that she could look at his face. They were silent as she stared at him, suddenly looking worried. "Are we...do you want...I mean..." a touch of colour rose in her cheeks and she dropped her gaze to the floor. "Are we..._us_...again?" she asked at last, biting her lip, clearly unsure, desperate, Teddy thought.

Younger Remus sucked in a slow, calculating breath.

"Is that what you want?" he asked her, letting his arms drop to his sides.

She gave the smallest of nods, staring at him intently.

He looked positively relieved at his and at last he smiled at her, causing her to smile back.

"Well then, I think we better sit down." he told her, turning and taking up the mugs, offering hers back. She took it, looking surprised by this reaction. She watched a little numbly as he cleared the clutter from the sofa with a flourish of his wand and they sat down, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. Aiming his wand at the fireplace, he muttered one last spell causing flames to leap into life, before putting the wand back in his pocket. She watched him reach into another pocket deep inside his robes and pull out something round, wrapped in golden foil.

"James used to tell me that the best way to say sorry to girls was to buy them flowers, but Sirius said you should go for chocolate every time." with that he offered her the object on the palm of his hand, and she took it, amused.

Teddy watched her unwrap the foil to reveal a hollow chocolate egg that she examined happily as Younger Remus leant back and put an arm around her.

"There's something inside!" Younger Tonks observed as she gave the egg a small shake, causing it to rattle.

"Well I wasn't completely convinced by either argument. Flowers make me sneeze and chocolate alone wouldn't have been terribly original now, would it?"

Younger Tonks positively beamed at this, shifting closer to him as she continued to stare at the egg. "The surprise isn't that it's poisonous." he assured her, and with a slightly chuckle she raised it to her lips and took a bite. With an _mmm_ of approval she peered to see what was hiding inside, and promptly gasped.

A soft, tinkling melody sounded from inside the egg and Teddy recognised it immediately as the tune he frequently heard his mother humming and his father whistling, the lullaby they had hummed to him as a little boy. He watched Younger Tonks upturn the egg and a delicate chain slid out into her palm, a small round pendent attached to it.

"It winds up," Younger Remus explained, reaching and winding the two halves of the pendant round and round, causing the music to start up anew. "Molly says you look like you've hardly slept at all. So...here's your lullaby from me to help you sleep."

Younger Tonks appeared to be speechless. She stared in wonder at the pendant, as Younger Remus' pulled her back further against him, humming along to the tune. They stayed there like this for many long minutes, her eyes drifting shut as he continued to hum long after the music had ended. Within another few minutes she had fallen asleep in his arms.


	22. Going Twice

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns all of it._

**21: Going Twice...**

Once Younger Tonks had been asleep for a long ten minutes, Younger Remus still humming and smoothing her hair with his free hand, he suddenly stopped and glanced over at a clock on the wall. Teddy watched as, with a sigh, he slowly disentangled himself from her sleeping form, careful to lower her down onto the sofa without waking her. Straightening up he stared at her for a long moment before heading towards the kitchen, footsteps soft and silent so as not to wake her.

"What're you doing?" Teddy asked his father, who sighed heavily as they watched Younger Remus set the kettle to boil and began to fill the sink with clean, bubbly water.

"Getting ready to leave again." Older Remus explained, only for his son to round on him as Younger Remus set the mountain of dirty dishes washing themselves with a neat flick of his wand.

"Leave?! Why would you want to leave?!" Teddy cried, hands balling into fists as his father merely nodded at him. The boy was confused for a long moment, thinking back over the scene he had just witnessed until something occurred to him and his hair faded to match the same dull colour of Younger Tonks in the other room.

"You didn't say yes!" he remembered furiously, pointing an accusing finger at his father. "She asked if you were back together and you _didn't say yes_! You just asked her a question back!"

To his disgust his father merely nodded again, hands shoved in his pockets as he watched his younger self pour a fresh mug of tea before casting a self-heating charm over it to keep it hot.

"But...when you were with Mrs Weasley! I thought you...you..." As Older Remus hung his head in shame, everything became clearer to Teddy. "You changed your mind...again!"

"Once Molly threw me out of the house and sent me off to make amends I began to think more clearly. I remembered what I was going back to that evening, what I was, what your mother meant to me...I wasn't going to let her make such a huge mistake again. But I realized I needed to do something to cheer her up, look at her out there Teddy!"

"This is the most...the most horrible..._manipulative_ thing I ever saw!" Teddy complained, voice close to a shout.

"Yes, it is." Older Remus agreed, not daring to glance sideways at his wife. "But I couldn't turn up and tell her the truth, not when she was in such a state and I wasn't around enough to sort it out properly. I thought once my mission was over there would be time to talk things over..." he shook his head at his own stupidity. "But of course we'd already talked it over time and time again already. Why on earth I thought one more go would make the blindest bit of difference..." he trailed off with a heavy sigh as Younger Remus headed back out into the living room, tea in hand. As they followed him into the room and watch him set the mug down on the table beside the sofa, Older Remus attempted to explain further.

"Don't think that I wasn't being sincere back then, Teddy, I truly was, but I made myself leave all the same, I thought it was for the best."

"Why would it be for the best?" Teddy asked, and his father appeared to find his glaring too much to bear for he sighed and ran a hand over his face in a mix of despair and frustration.

"Wait, Teddy," his mother told him, reaching to grip hold of her husband's hand reassuringly. "You'll see, be patient."

So Teddy waited, watching Younger Remus clear away the used tissues, close the photo album and place it back on a shelf, search around for parchment, quill and ink and scribble a short note promising to write to Tonks. He signed it with nothing more than his name. There was no _love from_. Merely _see you soon_.

And with that, with anger and confusion, Teddy Lupin witnessed the second time that his father left his mother.

"Soon" was, Teddy was disgusted to told by his mother, many months later. Teddy could tell from the view out the window, clear sky and brightly coloured flowers. Spring. They were back in The Burrow again. Teddy supposed most things took place there after Sirius' death. Around the table sat a number of members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Younger Tonks, hair still dull brown, a mixture of joy and misery upon her face as she looked towards the back door. Younger Remus was just stepping over the threshold. Teddy frowned at this slow, stiff movement, one hand gripping the door frame for support as Mrs Weasley got quickly to her feet, beaming.

"Remus!" she cried, hurrying around the table towards him, only to stop abruptly at the expression on his face. His eyes were strangely blank, as if he were blind, his breath heavy, laborious and as he moved forward a little further into the room, he stumbled.

"Remus?" Charlie Weasley asked uncertainly from his seat beside Younger Tonks, who looked positively alarmed at the werewolf's appearance.

Teddy watched Younger Remus slowly open his mouth as if to speak, drawing in another heavy breath. But to the boy's shock no words came out, for he promptly collapsed onto the floor, head meeting the cold, hard surface with an audible _crack_.

Teddy's hands flew up to cover his mouth and he screwed his eyes shut as the scene before him suddenly blurred, swimming before him. He reached to grab hold of his mother's arm before slowly daring to open his eyes. The memory was still fuzzy.

Mrs Weasley let out a squeak of surprise, several other people gasped and Teddy was vaguely aware of everybody jumping to their feet and hurrying to crowd around the lifeless form that lay upon the floor.

"What the hell is wrong with him?!" Younger Tonks cried as she fought to get to the front of the group, only for Kingsley to pull her away by the back of her robes.

"Is he okay?!" Mrs Weasley asked fretfully, as everybody began to speak at once.

"Where's he been today?"

"Remus? Can you hear me, Remus?"

"Is he breathing?"

"Maybe somebody should send for Dumbledore..."

"He's not dead, is he?"

"Shut up Hestia!"

"Wake up, Remus! Wake up!"

"Oh Merlin would you look at him!"

And then...

"Be quiet the lot of you!" a gruff voice snapped from the open doorway, and everybody turned to see Mad-Eye Moody stood observing the scene before him, magical eye fixed on Younger Remus' limp body on the floor. Silence fell over the room, which Moody nodded his approval of as he made his way into the room. "Constant Vigilance!" he barked, shaking a fist in emphasis. "You're all so distracted! I could have been _anybody_! A Death Eater! Voldemort himself!"

"Shut up Mad-Eye!" Younger Tonks shouted, sounding as though she was on the verge of cursing the grizzled old Auror. "In case you hadn't noticed, Remus is hurt..."

"Hmph..." Moody took another few steps forward, looking down at Younger Remus. He reached forward with his remaining booted foot and prodded the lifeless figure experimentally. "He'll live." He decided, despite getting no response, and with that he turned his attention to Mrs Weasley. "Has Albus sent word yet? I've not heard from him…"

"Mad-Eye!!!" Younger Tonks screamed, pulling herself from Kingsley's grasp and pushing her way until she was stood in front of him. "What the bloody hell are you on about?!" She pulled her wand from her pocket and, glaring around at the silent Order members, crouched down beside Younger Remus, reaching to feel his pulse. "He's not dead, I can feel his pulse," she confirmed. "Now move out the way! We need a stretcher or something…"

With that the shock seemed to wear off and the rest of the assembled people leapt into action. As a stretcher was conjured and Younger Remus was moved onto a sofa in the sitting room, Teddy closed his eyes against the swimming image.

"Why's it blurry? How can you remember it if you were unconscious?" he asked his father.

"I was only out for a moment or two, I could hear them talking, prodding me, lifting me up and so on."

"What happened to you?"

"Greyback lost his temper, they threw me out…did some damage on the way."

Teddy winced, feeling disturbed at the casualness of Older Remus' voice, as if this were a completely normal occurrence, and he told his father so. In response, Older Remus chuckled bitterly.

"Welcome to the world of the Order of the Phoenix, son. This _is_ normal."

Not long after, having joined the Order members in the sitting room, Teddy found the memory slowly came back into full focus and on the sofa Younger Remus' eyes slowly opened.

"You're a lucky man, Remus!" Hestia Jones announced when she noticed him watching as she examined him. "Looks like somebody's had a right go at you! Look, Molly, Tonks…"

Teddy too came to look, finding a series of what looked like scorch marks on the werewolf's robes.

"Get those off him." Kingsley suggested from behind the three witches, and they set to work pulling the robes from his frail form, ignoring his groans of protest. Together Molly and Hestia pulled up his jumper and shirt, and Teddy pulled a face at the ugly bruising that darkened the revealed skin.

"Cruciatus curse!" Moody muttered darkly, just as Younger Remus reached to pull the clothing firmly back into place.

"Don't fuss, Molly," he mumbled thickly as Mrs Weasley drew in a large breath, no doubt about to do just that. "I've seen worse."

"That's not the point, Remus!" Hestia told him firmly. "Molly, we'll need some Bruise-Away, I'll fetch a batch of that potion we made up last week…"

"I'll notify Albus." Moody announced gruffly, heading straight for the door.

"I'll go make a proper bed up, upstairs." Charlie decided, smiling over Younger Tonks' shoulder at their patient. "That sofa's pretty lumpy, eh Remus?"

"Kingsley, put the kettle on will you? I'm parched!" Hestia called over her shoulder, and Kingsley turned to follow the rest of them out of the room, leaving Younger Tonks alone to stare down at her fellow Order member, who sighed in exasperation, eyes drifting closed again.

"That was quite the entrance," she observed quietly, lips pursed in concern as she looked at him.

"Mm. I do try." Came the mumbled reply.

They both smiled ever so slightly and she dropped into a crouch beside him, reaching to take hold of his hand, hesitating ever so slightly and biting her lip.

Teddy watched Younger Remus' eyes snap open to stare at their intertwined fingers and he visibly swallowed.

"Tonks…" he began slowly, gradually attempting to pull his hand away, but she clung to it too tightly.

"Shh, it's okay," she soothed, ignoring his protests entirely. "Don't worry, just relax, you've had an ordeal…"

"I'm alright, I'm fine, I…it's just…"

"You think I'm angry with you. I know." She interrupted dismissively. "Well, I can't say I'm terribly impressed, two letters in all you've written, but still, don't you worry about a thing. It's over now. Just try and relax. Close your eyes, try to sleep."

"But…Tonks listen…"

"Shut up Remus. Go to sleep. In fact, here…" she released his hand and Teddy watched her reach and draw out a chain from around her neck, the plain pendent coming to rest in her palm. With a fond smile she wound it up and soft music filled the room. Despite himself, Younger Remus smiled and she moved to perch on the edge of the sofa, reaching to hold his hand again. After several minutes, Teddy wondered what was taking the other Order members so long, but the occupants of the sofa seemed not to have noticed.

"You're not even mad with him!" the boy observed, and his mother shrugged.

"They could have easily killed him, Teddy, he was lucky to get away. I was just relieved he was alright. Being mad at him suddenly seemed pointless when I saw him collapse." Older Tonks' head came to rest on her husbands shoulder and she sighed heavily. "Thank Merlin I'll never experience the likes of that again," she muttered. Older Remus put a firm around her, silent agreement.

The music came to an end and Younger Remus opened an eye, watching Younger Tonks rub soothing circles on his arm absentmindedly as she stared around the room.

"I've messed up." He told her weakly, causing her to look back down at him.

"Yeah well, I always thought it was a pointless mission in the first place…"

"No, I mean…I've messed up us. I've messed up you, we're sitting here…like this when we shouldn't be…"

To Teddy's surprise, Younger Tonks merely smiled. It was far different from the last time she had been told this. Perhaps it was because it would be an easier argument to win once Younger Remus was drugged up to the eyeballs with pain relief potions, the boy mused.

"We shouldn't?" Younger Tonks asked, eyebrow raised disbelievingly.

"No, we shouldn't."

She leant down closer to him, staring at him straight in the eyes.

"You've been back all of half an hour, Lupin," she told him warningly. "Don't pick fights with me already, besides you're barely conscious, you're stuck on this sofa with nowhere to run and even if you weren't I very much doubt you could so much as _walk_ away. You'll loose."

"But we shouldn't…"

"Shouldn't what? Shouldn't sit as close as this?" Not waiting for a response, she shifted closer still, leaning even further.

"No," he confirmed, but he made no move to stop her.

"I shouldn't put my arms around you?"

"No."

Teddy couldn't help but smile a little as she did just that.

"And I suppose you think I shouldn't dare to kiss you, either?"

Younger Remus' eyes widened and he hastily opened his mouth to object, but his words became nothing more than an incoherent mumble against her lips.

"What was that?" she whispered a long moment later, but he said nothing, preferring to slowly lift a arm and wrap it loosely around her waist. "I thought as much!" she said, grinning broadly as she leant to kiss him again.

Teddy was on the verge of screwing his eyes shut but she drew back again just in time.

"_No_ is not an acceptable answer, Remus." She stated firmly, eyes staring intently into his once again. "It never has been and it never will be. You can't ever truly be gone from me. I won't let you."

And with that, the scene dissolved once again.


	23. The Danger of Those Days

_Note: Thanks to those who have reviewed, what wonderful people you are! :-)_

_And yes, I know I have not updated in ages…AGAIN, but I've been busy with exams and other such hysteria!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**23: The Danger of Those Days**

The next memory that Teddy Lupin witnessed had him reaching to grasp hold of his parents' hands, as if he feared they would be snatched from him, lost forever. But at first he was intrigued by a new setting, a dirt track surrounded by dense forest. At the sound of a voice in front of him, Teddy found himself more intrigued still as his eyes came to rest on the unlikely duo stood amongst the trees.

"I can't say that I am at surprised at her predicament. We can always rely on Nymphadora to make such _slip ups_." Severus Snape's eyes were fixed on his companion, waiting for some sort of reaction Teddy guessed, but he received none. Younger Remus appeared not to hear him.

The two wizards began to make their way through the trees, following the track that wound its way off into the distance where small dots of lights shone from the windows of a small group of cottages sat atop the hill.

"I suppose it runs in the family." Snape pondered icily as he led the way, black robes billowing out behind him. "Black was always terribly reckless, and look where he wound up."

Again Younger Remus did not reply, though Teddy watched him give his wand a small flick, imaginary retaliation. The boy wondered what would have been the werewolf's chosen hex.

As they neared the village, a somewhat rustic assortment of thatched cottages surrounding a tiny village square, Younger Remus and Snape came to a halt. They peered searchingly at the cluster of buildings and when he looked too Teddy found that it appeared to be deserted, until...

"There," Younger Remus said, gesturing towards the centre of the square.

Teddy could only just make out a lifeless figure lying still upon the cobbles. Something in his chest gave a jolt of panic, and he reached for his mother's hand.

"After you," Snape drawled, and Teddy couldn't help but glare at his tone. Of course his father had told him a great number of times what a courageous and admirable person Severus Snape had been during the War, but Teddy was also very much aware of other, far less admirable qualities that the greasy haired man had possessed. A intense dislike, perhaps even hatred of Remus had been one such thing, and Teddy couldn't stand the constant mocking. It made his blood boil. War hero or not! As Younger Remus' grip on his wand noticeably tightened and he began to creep forward, out from the cover of the trees, Teddy found himself with a sudden desire to shout after him. No! Don't do it! Not with Snape to cover your back! It's a trap, it has to be!

"Bloody idiot!" Older Tonks hissed, as if to second Teddy's thoughts. "I bet Snape knew!"

"Of course," Older Remus agreed, unconcerned. "But I expected as much myself."

"Well if you did and you still just stride in there, bold as anything...! Mad Eye would've had a bloody fit!" Older Tonks' eyes were wide with shock at such clear stupidity.

"He did, if I recall correctly." her husband said, smiling ever so slightly.

Older Tonks did indeed snigger at this, but she then asked:

"But if you knew it was a trap, why would you do it?"

As Younger Remus appeared to be moving very slowly, not quite as bold as Older Tonks seemed to think, Teddy allowed himself to turn to his father and shoot him a questioning look. Older Remus pursed his lips together firmly, as if unwilling to admit his reasons. But with both his wife and son staring at him, he forced himself to shrug.

"Well I managed, didn't I?"

"Yes, but it was one hell of a risk! And you are not known for being reckless, now are you love?"

"He's the last of the Marauders, Mum," Teddy reminded her with a grin. "I reckon he has his moments."

"Well yeah, but this is ridiculous...." Older Tonks glanced at the silent figure stood just behind them and suddenly her gaze shot back to her husband's face, pointing an accusing finger. "It was because of SNAPE, wasn't it?!" she cried, sounding utterly furious at the idea. "You let him goad you into being a complete and utter PRAT!" She turned away from him, as if he were too shameful for her to look at. "MEN!" she moaned, face towards the heavens.

"He'd been making comments the whole walk up here! It'd been at least an hour, constant jibes..."

"And so you reckoned you'd try and get one up on him! Charge in there like some kind of knight in shining armour..."

"Not exactly..."

"Yes, Remus! Exactly! Men and their bloody pride, I swear...."

"You can't just say men, Dora, you were constantly trying to show him up, every opportunity you got! Besides, you were lying out in that square _dead_ for all I knew, I didn't give a damn if Snape had a hundred Death Eaters plus _Voldemort__ himself_ out there waiting for me! I'd still have tried to get you back!"

As Younger Remus paused, peering around the side of the nearest cottage, a question entered Teddy's head that he realised he had never asked before.

"Dad?"

"Teddy?"

"Did you ever like..._meet_ Voldemort himself?"

His father's eyebrow disappeared under his fringe at what he thought a rather oddly phrased question.

"I can't say he ever invited me round for tea, Teddy, no..."

Teddy shot his mother a glare as she let out a giggle, this was supposed to be a serious question, after all!

"No! I mean did you like...like did you ever...did you ever fight him?"

Older Remus no longer looked amused.

"Did _I_ ever fight Voldemort?" he said, as if to clarify the question.

"Yeah, like did you duel him?"

"Well...I might've sent a curse or two his way near the end of the Battle of Hogwarts...can't say I ever truly expected to _hit_ him..."

"Well yeah, but did you like face him yourself?"

"On my own?"

"Yeah."

As Older Tonks visibly shuddered at such an idea, Older Remus looked positively grim.

"If I had, Theodore, I very much doubt I would be here discussing it with you now." At Teddy's oddly disappointed expression he explained: "Very few took Voldemort on alone, Teddy, and practically every one of those who did died in the process. We fought as a group, it was safer that way."

Teddy had many other questions that he would have liked to ask, but when he glanced back towards the cottages once again he saw Younger Remus had left his hiding place and was striding into the middle of the square, wand held, ready. Teddy waited for a bombard of curses to shoot out from the dark windows and from behind hedges and walls, but there was nothing. Younger Remus reached the lifeless body of Younger Tonks in the centre of the square and, glancing around cautiously, reached to feel for a pulse. Snape, Teddy noted, had not moved to help in the slightest.

"Death Eaters are taking their time," he observed.

"Nah, their waiting for him to lower his wand," Older Tonks said knowingly.

"Or better still wait for me to have put it right away in order to get you up off the floor." Older Remus suggested.

They waited.

Snape turned his back on the scene, unconcerned, and began to stride away back down the hill.

Younger Remus stood, motionless, apparently staring down at his future wife's body in silence. But Teddy was sure that his eyes were roving across his surroundings, looking for any sign of movement.

The silence that followed for what Teddy was sure to at least five very long, tense minutes, made the boy fidget nervously. In the square, Younger Remus glanced around him one final time before dropping into a crouch...

"_Avada Kadavra_!"

A flash of green light shot out of nowhere and Teddy leaped backwards in shock, colliding with his father who, having not so much as winced, put both of his arms firmly around the boy to steady him.

As the killing curse streaked towards him, Younger Remus instantly flopped forward, landing on top of Younger Tonks, immediately spreading himself as if to shield her. The curse missed his shoulder by mere inches and as soon as it had passed him, the werewolf launched himself up into a standing position, thrust his wand forward and bellowed:

"_Stupefy_!"

Teddy vaguely wondered how Younger Remus knew where to aim, but as he followed the stunning spell's progress towards a low garden wall he caught sight of a dark figure stood amongst the garden's greenery. There came the loud crack of disapparation and the Death Eater disappeared, reappearing the opposite side of the square. Another killing curse came shooting forward and Younger Remus stepped deftly out of it's way.

The Death Eater let out a high pitched scream of anger and three more killing curses came zooming forward in quick succession. Younger Remus managed to deflect one, dodge a second, before stumbling in his haste to dodge the third. As he struggled to stay on his feet the Death Eater screeched:

"_Levicorpus_!"

Teddy let out a small gasp of alarm, hugging his father's arms tightly to him as Younger Remus was hoisted up into the air by an invisible force yanking at his ankle. Before he could stop himself, forgetting that he would not be heard, Teddy shouted to him in alarm.

"Don't drop your wand!" He shrieked desperately, and his father did nothing to silence him, save hold onto him more tightly than ever. Heart pulsing furiously in his chest as the Death Eater approached his father's younger self, Teddy squinted to see if Younger Remus had indeed kept hold of his wand...

His hands were empty.

"No!" Teddy shouted, fighting helplessly against Older Remus' iron-grip, the fact that this were merely a memory and that his father was indeed very much alive and well lost to him in his panic.

The Death Eater advanced, slowly, teasingly, savoring victory as she held her wand aloft.

"I knew it would be you!" she cried, a sickening spring in her step. "I knew it would be you to come and get her..._disgusting_..." She raised her wand...

Suddenly Teddy found everything had gone black, Older Remus had clamped his hands firmly over the boy's eyes...

"_Crucio_!"

Teddy hunched his shoulders at the sound and his father swiftly turned him to face away from the scene. Teddy hid his face in Older Remus' robes, their warmth and the firm arms still tightly around him a shield to the horrors that he knew were occurring behind him. He was vaguely aware of his mother coming rest a hand upon his shoulder and complaining that it was wrong of him to see such a thing. And it _was_ such a thing, Teddy realized numbly, such a horrific, sickening, horrible thing, such a nightmarish, terrifying, unbearable thing, he wanted out, he wanted out _now_...

And suddenly he found himself spun back around and in his surprise he stared, wide-eyed just in time to see Younger Remus, body oddly rigid for one hanging upside down by thin air, give his arm a small shake and, to Teddy's amazement, his wand slipped down from up his sleeve, he caught it firmly in his hand, taking aim:

"_Stupefy_!"

The Death Eater, who was mere steps away now, was struck directly in the chest, thrown backwards off her feet and across the square, hitting a cottage wall with a loud t_hud_.

The panic evaporated, replaced by complete and utter shock. Teddy raised a shaking arm and pointed at Younger Remus.

"She just...just...used the Cruciatus curse on you." He stuttered, eyes still wide.

"She did." His father agreed, voice slow, careful.

"A...and you just...you just...pulled your wand out...calm as anything...and stunned her....!"

"It would appear so, yes."

There was a long silence as Teddy digested this information. Then finally he said:

"_Wow_!"

"Werewolves have a high pain threshold." His father explained, sounding almost embarrassed by how impressed Teddy sounded. "Not that it wasn't excruciatingly painful..."

Younger Remus continued to dangle for a long few moments, as if taking a moment to calm himself, before releasing himself from his invisible binds and falling to the ground with a loud groan.

"How'd you keep hold of the wand?" Teddy asked, as Younger Remus slowly heaved himself over the cobbles towards Younger Tonks. Clearly he was not quite as unaffected as Teddy had first thought.

Older Remus smiled at this question.

"When I was at Hogwarts there were times when you couldn't walk down a corridor without being hoisted up like that, James was most fond if it, which made getting up in time for breakfast each morning rather difficult...you'd be dangling there with the blood rushing to your head whilst the rest of the school were down in the Great Hall eating. So we were quick to learn how to keep hold of our wands so that we could let ourselves down. It's amazing what tricks a bunch of teenagers will learn when there's the prospect of food."

Comical images of pajama-clad students struggling to get themselves free of the spell entered Teddy's mind, but were banished quite suddenly by the sound of somebody swearing loudly. He turned to look over to where Younger Remus was examining Younger Tonks more carefully, and the boy hurried over to get a look for himself, his parents close behind him.

"Wake up, Tonks," Younger Remus pleaded as he gently shook her by the shoulder. "For the love of Merlin wake up! I've had enough of Death Eaters today, Bellatrix is bad enough without the rest of them turning up, I need to move you and we're not apparating, not like this, I'll bloody splinch you..."

Younger Tonks made no reply. Younger Remus swore for a second time, which Teddy found equally as shocking as he had done before.

"Wake up, Tonks, _please_....?"

Still silence save for the soft breeze upon the trees of the woods behind them.

And then Teddy heard movement from over by the cottage into whose wall Bellatrix had collided. Younger Remus immediately pushed himself somewhat clumsily to his feet and spun round, wand raised, only for there to come the loud _crack_ of disapparation.

And then another _crack,_ and Younger Remus spun again, only to find Kingsley Shacklebolt hurrying towards him.

"It's alright, there's nobody here." the werewolf assured the Auror as the latter came to an abrupt halt, looking around. "In fact you missed Bellatrix by about half a second."

Teddy watched to see if the future Minister for Magic looked particularly angry at this revelation, yet only the smallest frown creased his brow.

"And Tonks?"

"She's seen better days I imagine, but all things considered..." Younger Remus halted abruptly as below them Younger Tonks stirred. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and, at the sight of the two other Order members, grew to be as wide as snitches.

"Remus!" she sounded startled, afraid, in fact terrified, but Teddy couldn't quite understand why. She was clearly safe, after all.

As relief washed over Younger Remus' tired looking face Kingsley dropped into a crouch and reached to lay a reassuring hand on the metamorphmagus' shoulder.

"It's fine, Tonks, Remus saw Bellatrix off..."

"No!" Younger Tonks cried, reaching to push his hand away, albeit feebly. "No, it's not fine, it's not fine, it's not, it's not, it's not!!"

"Shh, Tonks, really, everything is okay..."

"No!"

"Calm down..."

"No! It's not fine!"

Teddy watched, astonished as his mother's younger self thrashed almost wildly in her attempts to push Kingsley away, tears gathering in her eyes and leaking down her face in hot, salty flows. Catching hold of both of her wrists to keep her still, Kingsley shot a pleading look over his shoulder at his companion. Younger Remus sunk to the ground beside him and immediately Younger Tonks yanked her hands free of Kingsley's grasp in order to grab hold of his hand.

"Nice deep breaths, Dora," the werewolf instructed soothingly, and she seemed to go limp. "Kingsley's right, everything is fine, Bellatrix is gone..."

"But she knows!" Younger Tonks wailed, visibly flinching at the name of her crazed Black Aunt. At the wizards' questioning looks she elaborated, all be it by two words: "She knows about us!"

Younger Remus visibly stiffened, and his grip on her hand loosened for the briefest of moments before he straightened again, holding on firmly once more.

"I'm sure she doesn't, I don't see...see how she could..."

"But she does! She said so! She said she knew, how vile it was, she said she'd leave me here, that you'd come to find me and how she'd kill the pair of us, she said she'd make me watch, she'd do it right there in front of me, she said...she said she..."

"Shh." Kingsley interrupted, voice quiet yet more than enough to silence her. "Not here. We'll get you somewhere safe first..."

"What are we going to do, Remus?" Younger Tonks asked, still panicked.

Younger Remus' lips pursed firmly together, perhaps thoughtful or against whatever he truly thought should be done.

"I don't know, Dora," he admitted. "I really don't know."

Then the scene shifted and when Teddy realized where he was then he had a sudden urge to reach and pinch his nose. After all he knew full well just how foul the stench could be when one entered the Hog's Head Inn. They were stood in the darkest, murkiest looking corner of the bar, no doubt the favourite spot of Aberforth Dumbledore's shiftiest patrons. One such patron was sat down at the small, dirty table, a heavy faded cloak drawn about their shoulders, large hood hiding their face from view. Teddy was just thinking that the person sat a little too upright to be quite like the rest of the drunkard rabble in the bar, when Aberforth shuffled over and placed a large glass of firewhisky firmly down upon the table. The seated wizard reached to draw back his hood just as Aberforth offered him an approving grin.

"Drinking on the job now are we, Lupin? Ha!"

Younger Remus offered the barkeep a strained smile.

"When else is there, Aberforth? Voldemort's not going to give us a day off now, is he?" He reached for the glass and took a sip.

"That's the third glass you got there, you know." Aberforth's voice was less hostile than usual, Teddy noted. It was strange, the boy could not imagine the wild wizard being fond of anybody much, save his goats, but he did sound to be close to concerned. When Younger Remus did not reply he continued: "It's probably not the answer, you know."

Younger Remus's expression was genuinely surprised at this. Aberforth Dumbledore offering him pearls of wisdom? _Really_? The werewolf attempted a larger smile, horribly fake, Teddy noticed.

"I think you must be mistaken, Aberforth," he said. "I am merely waiting for Albus."

Aberforth grinned in his amusement, revealing a line of yellowing chipped teeth.

"And he'll find you slumped over this table when he comes, I suppose."

"Certainly not!" Younger Remus drained the glass and set it down on the table.

"Another?"

"Please."

"Ha!" Aberforth snatched up the glass, chuckling to himself as he headed back towards the bar. Younger Remus scowled at his back. Teddy was watched, bemused. The whole scene was terribly strange, Aberforth's near on friendly advice, his father's dark mood. Of course everybody was entitled to a bad day, especially at times like this, but downing firewhisky as if it were water and glaring at anything and everything that moved, _really_…

"So…where's that Auror friend of yours?"

Younger Remus jumped slightly as Aberforth seemingly appeared out of nowhere and offered him a refilled glass.

"Seen her round here all the time recently, her and some others from the Ministry, surprised she's not here with you. You could use her just now, Lupin, she's pretty good at fetching you drinks, eh?" The barkeep laughed at his rather mocking observation, much more what Teddy would expect of him, and Younger Remus scowled once again.

"It's her day off." He muttered.

"I thought you said we didn't get days off."

"Some of us like to pretend." Younger Remus glanced over at the bar where a hag dressed in what appeared to be an old sack was stood. "You've a customer to serve, Aberforth."

Aberforth gave a snort and shuffled back towards the bar, muttering about people telling him how to run his bar. Younger Remus was left in peace to sip at his drink for a few minutes before the door opened and in strode Albus Dumbledore, looking very out of place in sweeping robes of bottle green, neatly trimmed snow white beard and half moon spectacles perched on the end of his crooked nose. Teddy watched Younger Remus discreetly lean to place his glass on the floor, hidden from view, and hastily straighten up as Dumbledore strode over to him.

"Ah, Remus, safe journey?"

"Yes thank you, Albus." Younger Remus reached to shake the Headmaster's hand, but paused awkwardly for a moment as his eyes came to rest on Dumbledore's right hand. Teddy found himself with the urge to recoil at the sight of blackened, withered flesh.

Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling as if he had not noticed the werewolf's mistake.

"How's Harry?" Younger Remus asked, hands now clasped together before him.

"He's well enough at present. But I've not called you here to talk about Harry, Remus. You know why we are here, don't you?"

Teddy couldn't help but smile slightly, for the completely blank expression that Younger Remus offered the older wizard was simply humorous. Dumbledore merely continued to smile.

"I had a visit from Nymphadora this morning." Dumbledore explained, pausing as if to let this information sink in. Younger Remus returned his gaze evenly. "She's recovered rather well from her run in with Bellatrix, but she did seem a bit on the frantic side when she came to speak with me. And that is why we are here, Remus."

Younger Remus said nothing.

"I hear that Bellatrix has been making certain threats that have had quite the impact on Nymphadora and yourself." The Headmaster leant forward in his chair, blue eyes piercing. "And so I have merely called you here in order to remind you of a few of the key necessities that will help ensure the success of the Order of the Phoenix." He paused, as if waiting for some sort of response, but Younger Remus simply continued to stare at him, so he continued in his speech. "The first of those things is _unity_, Remus. Unity over isolation. Voldemort has his followers, yes, but he cares nothing for them as people and they care little for one another, there is no true unity. It is something we have that he does not and so it is important for us to use it to our advantage."

Teddy couldn't quite see what this had to do with anything, but Dumbledore proceeded to lean even further forward as he said:

"Stand up beside Tonks, Remus, and be strong for her, let her be strong for you, be strong _together_. No matter what happens."

Younger Remus' eyes widened slightly and he nodded numbly.

"The second thing, Remus, is _resolve_. We must make our decisions and stick to them. The more sure we are, the greater the chance of success. If you are going to stick with Tonks, stick with her! If not, make that very clear to her now! A solid sureness in life will keep us stronger, whether it be a happy fact or a disappointing one. At least you will know on who and what you can depend." He paused, but again Younger Remus simply nodded, slightly glass eyed. "And the third and final thing I wish to mention that is vital to the Order's success is _love_."

Younger Remus seemed to focus his eyes and he smiled.

"As you told Harry." he recalled.

"Yes. Sadly he was not particularly impressed by my explanation, only accepting it grudgingly. But you, Remus, are wise enough to see love's importance." When Younger Remus nodded again, Dumbledore nodded back. "Then love her, Remus! Love her if that is what you desire! It is certainly what she desires, that much is plain to even an old man like me! If you were to allow yourself to love her as she does you, you would both be far stronger for doing so."

The werewolf drew in a large breath, as if considering this suggestion, before sighing heavily and closing his eyes.

"They'll hunt the pair of us down, Albus." he mumbled, brow creased in worry.

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed. "Yes they will. And it will get worse with the stance on werewolves that the Ministry are taking."

"Dora will loose her job sooner rather than later."

"There's no doubt."

There was a long, rather painful silence. It occurred to Teddy just what a difficult predicament his father had been in. It had never been as simple as he had always thought. He was very much surprised, then, when Dumbledore announced:

"But that does not matter, Remus. It is irrelevant."

Younger Remus looked equally as shocked as Teddy felt.

"We are in the middle of a war," Dumbledore reminded him simply. "There is no normality at such times, there is nothing more than the most basic elements of humanity and we must cling to them. We must love, Remus, because if we do not what will we be left with? You are an Order member, as is Tonks. The pair of you are marked as it is, you may as well be marked together."

Slowly a small smile crept onto Younger Remus' face, apparently he had seen the light.

"Now then," said Dumbledore, smiling back at him. "I'm afraid I must be off, but I daresay I shall see you soon enough." he rose from his chair as Younger Remus mumbled a farewell. The headmaster turned and began to walk towards the door, but he paused, turned back and pointed with his left hand at Younger Remus' feet.

"I'd drink up if I were you," he told the werewolf warmly. "Leave it down there for much longer and goodness knows what might crawl into it."

And with that, Albus Dumbledore swept from the bar, leaving Younger Remus, face tinged with embarrassment, to stoop for his glass.


	24. Too Poor

_Note: Thanks again to everybody who reviewed! There have been 5 requested memories so far, all post Dumbledore's death. If anybody wants to request any from before then please do so ASAP else I might not fit them in! _

_And yes, I know it will probably seem weird, Remus talking to himself, but I'm not saying he's mad, it's just the easiest way to show what's going through his mind!_

_I also have no idea what the exchange rate is between the pound/dollar and the galleon! So don't hate me if you think it is all wrong! _

_Diclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

**24: Too Poor**

When the next memory materialized before him, Teddy Lupin was informed by his father that they had skipped forward several months in time and yet again they watched Younger Remus knock on the back door of the Burrow, effectively the Order's Headquarters, Teddy suspected, since Sirius' death. Teddy took a look at Younger Remus' face. He was deathly pale and there were large purple bags under his eyes.

Light rain spat down from an overcast sky above them as Younger Remus waited patiently for the door to open. When it did so it opened a mere fraction, and the face of Arthur Weasley peeped out from behind the door.

"Remus!" he greeted, voice hushed as Younger Remus grinned at him as if the pair were in the middle of undertaking a prank of some sort. "I've got it for you, it's right..."

"Arthur?!" The commanding voice of Molly Weasley halted her husband's whisperings instantaneously.

Both wizards visibly stiffened, Arthur positively cringing.

"Yes, Molly dear?" he called over his shoulder. Younger Remus drew in a deep breath and held it, though he seemed to be struggling against laughter.

"Who's at the door?!"

Arthur looked alarmed, staring at Younger Remus for guidance, but the werewolf merely shrugged, still attempting not to laugh. Before either could decide what to say they heard her call:

"Is it Remus?!"

Younger Remus shook his head vigorously and Arthur _ummm_ed for a long moment.

"Pardon, dear?!" he called, before pulling the door open a little wider and holding out a glass bottle full of a murky looking substance that Teddy knew so well. Wolfsbane potion. "Take it," Arthur instructed, as Younger Remus grabbed it from him and shoved it into the pocket of his robes. "And get going, she'll know it's you..."

"I _said_ is it Remus?!" Molly's voice called impatiently as Younger Remus turned and began to stride away back up the dusty pathway.

"No, dear, it isn't." Arthur lied, waving cheerily as Younger Remus glanced back at him.

"Then who is it?!" Molly asked. When her husband _ummm_ed once again there came the sound of swift footsteps. "It is him, isn't it?!" she cried, sounding frantic. "Remus?!"

The door was suddenly flung wide open and Teddy laughed as Younger Remus sped up his pace considerably.

"Remus Lupin!" the Weasley matriarch thundered, arms crossed firmly across her chest. "Get back here!"

Younger Remus froze in his tracks, clearly considering his options, unaware of Teddy and his parents' laughter. Deciding it best not to argue or risk upsetting the formidable woman stood in the doorway, the werewolf turned on his heel to look at her, smiling brightly.

"Good Morning, Molly," he greeted innocently, beginning to walk back towards the door, feet dragging ever so slightly.

"You think you can just brush me off that easily?!" Molly cried, sounding closer to offended than angry. Behind her Arthur muttered at her to l_eave the poor man alone_, but she ignored him.

"Not at all," Younger Remus assured her warmly as he came to a stop in front of her. "Clearly I can do no such thing, else I would not be stood here right now."

She scowled at him, but he simply offered her the most charming smile he could muster. Her face softened immediately.

"I know you're all for business as usual, Remus," she told him, voice much calmer now. "But I know what day it is tomorrow..."

"Yes Molly, I know what day it is tomorrow too," Younger Remus agreed, clearly not sharing her concern. "But I also know what day it is today. Do you?" When she did nothing but sigh disapprovingly at him he answered for her. "_Today_, Molly, is Tonks' birthday."

"Yes, and I'm sure the pair of you have plans, but tomorrow is full moon, Remus." Molly stated gently, carefully, there was pity there, Teddy found, and he knew full well that his father would not appreciate it.

"Don't start on him, Molly," Arthur ventured. "Of course Remus knows it is full moon tomorrow, if he wants to spend the day out with Tonks..."

"He needs rest! For Merlin's sake Arthur, look at him!"

Younger Remus said nothing, and so Arthur continued to attempt to reason with his wife.

"Be that as it may, he's a full grown adult, not one of our sons, if he decides he doesn't need rest..."

"What does he know about what's good for him?!" Molly cried, throwing her hands up in agitation. "Glutton for punishment, he is! He needs to look after himself!"

Younger Remus frowned ever so slightly at how she spoke of him as if he were not there, but patiently smiled as if touched by her concern.

"Really Molly, I'm not in the least bit tired, I feel perfectly fit and healthy."

She scrutinized him, taking in his sickly complexion and dark, tired eyes.

"Won't you at least sit and have a cup of tea?" she tempted hopefully. "Surely Tonks can wait half an hour?"

Younger Remus' expression appeared to doubt that Tonks could in fact wait more than a second than was strictly necessary, yet he swiftly covered this look with a bright smile.

"I'm sure she can. A cup of tea would be lovely, Molly, I'm sure I'll feel even better for it."

And so, invisible trio laughing behind him, Younger Remus allowed Molly to usher him into the kitchen, sit him in a chair and fuss for all she was worth. There was more than just tea, there was biscuits, cake and even the offer of sandwiches. Younger Remus declined the latter, but felt obliged to have the rest. As he chatted away to Molly and Arthur about Harry, the latest failings of the Ministry and Molly's misgivings about her eldest son's choice of woman, Teddy wondered just why Molly had made such a fuss over Younger Remus. Of course the boy knew full well that his father's health grew increasingly fragile as the full moon approached but surely he wasn't _that_ unwell?! In the future he taught at Hogwarts right up until the final day before his transformation, and though this noticeably tired him he was certainly not quite in need of bed rest and a personal mediwitch!

But then Molly abandoned her scrubbing of the kitchen worktops and beckoned Younger Remus to follow her into the sitting room, where, she told him excitedly, she had a copy of yesterday's Daily Prophet.

"There's an article about Fred and George's shop!" she gushed as she paused in the doorway to glance back at her guest.

Younger Remus slowly pushed back his chair and, gripping the tabletop with what Teddy was sure was much more force than necessary, heaved himself to his feet. He swayed slightly in his attempt, knuckles whitening as he steadied himself. Teddy saw him squeeze his eyes firmly shut, as though the world had suddenly began to spin, before opening them and turning to follow Molly. His steps were slow and heavy, as if to ensure he was well balanced, but he stood straight when Molly eyed him suspiciously. She opened her mouth to comment but Arthur beat her to it.

"Remus..." he began cautiously, looking regretful when his fellow Order member looked back at him. "Do you think...that...that perhaps you should..."

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Molly cried impatiently, and for once Arthur looked relieved at her interruption. "Look at yourself, Remus, you're a wreck! You can't possibly take Tonks out for the day when you're like this!"

Younger Remus appeared to struggle not to roll his eyes at her in exasperation.

"Honestly Molly," he told her. "I've been a werewolf since I was seven years old and ever since I've spend the majority of my time ill in one way or another. In the days leading up to the full moon I get tired and stiff, as if I were about double my age, and after the full moon I've just about enough strength to breathe! If I rested every single time I'd spend my whole life bedridden! Best thing to do is to just go about life as normal, else you'll never achieve anything! I've been living by that philosophy for more years than I can remember, I'm not about to change now! It's Tonks' birthday, there is no chance I'll not take her out, it's been planned for over a _month_!" His voice had risen without him meaning it to, he was close to shouting and Molly had hung her head as if ashamed. Teddy watched him look vaguely embarrassed by his outburst, and quite suddenly he made for the door, tugging his faded cloak from the hook on the wall and threw it about his shoulders. "I really ought be going," he told the two Weasleys, not quite meeting either of their eyes. "Thank you for the tea, the cake was delicious." And with that he fled before they could reply.

As Teddy and his parents hurried after Younger Remus up the dusty lane that lead away from the Burrow, the boy could hear the werewolf muttering angrily to himself and so Teddy sped up until he were walking by his side.

"Nice work, Molly won't forgive you that one for a while...She was being so kind and you've thrown it back in her face...Run off without apologizing, some Gryffindor you are...Great start, Lupin, great start..."

They came to a halt by a large puddle of rain water that had accumulated by the side of the track. Younger Remus stared down at it, his moody-faced reflection staring back at him. Taking in his sunken eyes, disarrayed hair and unshaven face, he reached to cover his eyes with both hands, despairing.

"She's right, she's bloody right!" he complained to nobody in particular. "Dora must be mad, what on earth was going through her mind when..." he halted abruptly and drew in a deep breath. There was a long silence and then Teddy heard him mutter: "Pull yourself together..."

The crack of disapparation made the boy jump and then the scene dissolved once again.

The next few scenes made Teddy's head spin, broken up by loud cracks as Younger Remus apparated from place to place, knocking loudly on doors and muttering irritably when nobody came to answer them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the boy asked his father as yet another doorstep appeared, front door painted a shiny black with a bright gold 16 positioned proudly upon it.

"I needed a bathroom," Older Remus told him. "Look at the state of me, I wouldn't turn up at your mother's looking like that, I needed a shower, shave..."

_Crack_!

Green door, small terrace house.

"Then why don't you go home?! There's a bathroom there!"

"I couldn't go back home, I abandoned my house about a week beforehand."

"Abandoned your house? _Why_?!"

"The locals were getting more than suspicious. I left when some of the local children started throwing stones through the windows. I knew their parents wouldn't be far behind them. I hadn't told anybody that I'd left though. I think Kingsley suspected something had happened because I asked him to keep hold of a trunk for me and I used to turn up each morning to get clothes from it and so on. But I never actually told him, I didn't want people getting worried again."

"Again?!"

"Oh yes, I've had more houses than you've had hot dinners, Teddy. If you could call the last one a house..."

"What was it like?"

"It was more of a single room really. I couldn't afford anything more."

"How'd you get our house then?" Teddy asked without thinking. "You said you bought it when you and Mum got married, it's much more than just one room." He looked at his father and noticed that his gaze had dropped to the floor.

"When I said _I_ bought the house when your mother and I got married, what I meant was that _she_ bought the house when we got married..."

"We bought it _together_." his mother added insistently, ignoring the raised eyebrow her husband offered her. "Us and your grandparents." She grinned at what had supposedly been a team effort, but Teddy imagined his father's money had been about enough to buy the cupboard under the stairs.

The way in which his father suddenly seemed to find the unremarkable scene before them so very interesting suggested to Teddy that he had not been completely happy with the whole business. No doubt his grandmother would not have been impressed either, Teddy wondered what her reaction had been when Tonks went to ask to borrow gold because her new husband could not provide her with a house to live in.

Several locations later Teddy found himself stood in Hogsmeade, outside of the Three Broomsticks. Younger Remus paused outside of the door, drawing his cloak tightly around him and pulling his hood up to help conceal his face, before entering the pub and heading straight for the toilets. There Teddy watched him fill a sink with water and extract a razor, a bar of soap and various other bathroom implements from the pockets of his robes. He was halfway through shaving the stubble from his chin when the door opened and in wandered a short, tubby man with curly black hair, mug of butterbeer in hand. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Younger Remus, clearly wondering if he had entered the wrong room.

"Morning," Younger Remus greeted cheerily, eyes still upon his reflection in the mirror upon the wall.

There was a long, confused pause.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?!" cried the dark haired man, taking a step forward, still staring as if trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"It's okay," Younger Remus told him dismissively. "Rosmerta knows I'm here. The wife's thrown me out, Rosmerta took pity on me, said I could use the bathroom."

The man seemingly relaxed at this and wandered over towards a cubicle. Younger Remus hastily finished shaving, splashed his face a few more times with clean water, shoved his belongings back in his pockets and hurried from the room.

It was to be a very busy morning, Teddy discovered. No wonder Younger Remus had been reluctant to stay at the Burrow! Next Teddy found himself following Younger Remus through Diagon Ally, keeping to the side of the cobbled street as if to avoid being noticed. They headed into an ancient looking shop. It's sign, paint peeling, proclaimed it to be _Diamonds in the Rough, established 1902_. The inside of the shop was gloomy, cluttered and smelt of damp. From floor to ceiling there was piled pieces of junk; tables with missing legs, chipped vases, a few muggle paintings that were motionless and dull, and in the corner an decrepit looking piano with five missing keys. Younger Remus did not so much as glance at any of the sorry looking objects that were on sale, instead he headed straight for the tiny counter at the back of the shop, where an old man with huge, bushy grey eyebrows stood peering through the gloom at him, eyes hostile.

"Buying or selling?" he grunted bluntly when the werewolf came to a halt before him.

"Selling," Younger Remus told him, and with that he reached into his pocket.

At the sight of the shiny golden pocket watch being placed firmly down on the counter, Teddy's eyes widened in shock.

"Dad...that's your pocket watch!" he cried, pointing just in case his father couldn't see.

"It is." his father agreed, not phased.

"But...but you wear that every Sunday when we go to Gran's!"

"I do."

As the shabby man behind the counter picked up the watch and began to examine it through his heavy brows, Teddy turned to his parents, confused.

"Few months later when it was your Dad's birthday and I'd realized what he'd done, the rest of the Order and I all put some money together and I bought it back." Older Tonks explained, sounding disapproving at what her husband had done. "Bloody lucky nobody had bought it!"

"Eighty," the old man grunted as he put the watch back down again.

"One hundred and forty," Younger Remus returned.

The man gave a snort.

"Ninety." he muttered, sounding irritated.

"One hundred and thirty."

"Ninety-five."

"One hundred and ten."

"Niney-five, that's generous, it ain't even worth that much!"

"One hundred?"

"I ain't budging. Take it or leave it."

There was a long silence as Younger Remus stared thoughtfully at the watch.

"Alright, deal," he agreed at last, not sounding as though it was alright at all.

"What?!" Older Tonks cried, hair flashing the fiercest of crimsons.

"Don't Dora..." Older Remus muttered, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Remus, you know full well it's worth a hundred and twenty at least!"

"I was in a rush."

"That's a Lupin family heirloom that has been passed down for generations and you just sold it for _peanuts_!"

"It doesn't really matter anymore, does it?"

"You told me you sold it for one hundred and twenty! We paid a hundred and forty to get it back!"

"I told you you shouldn't have bothered."

Teddy watched miserably as the pocket watch was snatched up greedily and the galleons were counted out onto the counter. Younger Remus silently swept the heavy load into his hand and shoved it into his pocket. Then, without a word of thanks, he left the shop.

They followed him further up the street to a much grander looking shop, rich velvet draped inside the various display cabinets in which glittered rings, sparkling necklaces and shimmering earrings were proudly sat. Younger Remus headed to a cabinet in the corner in which stood a cabinet full of bracelets. As Teddy drew closer and squinted at them through the glass he found himself smiling. They looked something similar to the wrist watches that muggles liked to wear. Instead of a clock face, however, behind the glass there appeared to be colored smoke, shifting and twisting into patterns and shapes, stars, hearts and rainbows. Framed by thin silver frames and attached to delicate sets of links, they were quite possibly the most fascinating pieces of jewelry Teddy had ever seen. Younger Remus also looked enchanted for a brief moment, but quite suddenly his face fell.

"Can I help you?" asked a voice, and he turned to see a witch dressed in smart blue robes, smiling at him cheerfully.

"Yes, I came in last week...it says here that these bracelets are one hundred and fifteen galleons...am I mistaken in thinking that they have gone up in price?"

"I'm afraid they have," the witch said regretfully. "They're in demand, then again they are very beautiful."

"They are." Younger Remus agreed quietly, lips pursed together in thought. At last he smiled and said, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"You're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?" Older Tonks asked her husband worriedly as they stepped out into the street and set off back up the street. Older Remus merely shrugged as if he did not know what she meant.

Younger Remus was busy undoing the clasp that held his cloak around his shoulders.

"You're kidding me!" Teddy cried as the door to Diamonds in the Rough was pushed open. "Surely there's some money in your vault at the bank?! Just a bit?!"

"I'd been unemployed for near on three years, Teddy, I was living off the meager remains of my year's work at Hogwarts and the money my parents left me and they'd never been rich by any stretch of the imagination. It's not quite as bad as it looks, I used to plan how much I had to spend and I got by, but I'd not taken birthdays and things like that into account. So I sold things."

They had reached the counter. Younger Remus placed the clasp down as the old man looked up from his newspaper, surprised.

"How much?" the werewolf asked as he folded his cloak over his arm.

"Ten."

"Twenty-five."

"Fifteen."

"Twenty-five. It's solid silver."

The man snatched up the clasp and examined it, before grunting his approval.

"Twenty-two."

Younger Remus smiled.

"Deal."

And so it was that Teddy Lupin saw his father sell his most precious possession in order to scrape together enough gold to buy his mother a extravagant and lavish birthday present.


	25. Too Old

_Note: According to the Harry Potter Wiki, Remus was born on the 10th March 1960, whilst Tonks was born around 1973. I think I have got their ages right based on that information...but since basic mathematics often appears to be beyond me these days, I may well have screwed up. If I have...we shall claim it as artistic license! Don't hate me for it, just feel sorry for my lack of addition skills! =)_

_This is rather a filler chapter, sorry for that, again...don't hate me!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Ms Rowling does._

**25: Too Old**

As he watched Younger Tonks open the door of her flat and practically launch herself at the man stood waiting in the corridor, Teddy Lupin couldn't help but smile. Younger Remus managed not to stumble too badly, perhaps he had been expecting such a greeting, the boy mused, perhaps he had had practice. After a long moment the pair loosened their holds on one another, drawing back slightly, wearing matching grins.

"Hello," he greeted, reaching to smooth her hair, today her favourite shade of bubblegum pink.

"Hi."

"Happy Birthday."

"Thanks."

Teddy watched Younger Remus raise an eyebrow as he asked:

"Aren't you supposed to ask me a question or something before you fling the door open like that?" He was still smiling and Teddy was surprised for surely he was pointing out a very serious mistake. Clearly the dangers of the war had increased.

Younger Tonks looked thoughtful as she considered this before shrugging carelessly.

"Nah, I knew it was you." she decided after a moment.

"You did?" Younger Remus sounded disbelieving.

"Yep!"

"How did you know?"

Quite suddenly Younger Tonks threw her arms more tightly around his neck kissed him fiercely. Clearly he was less prepared than the first time she had pounced on him, Teddy noted, for he fell back a step in surprise. The boy screwed his eyes firmly shut, only opening them when she said:

"'Cos there's no way I'd snog a Malfoy or a Lestrange or any of them!"

Younger Remus sniggered, face contorted in disgust at the revolting images she was planting in his head. His gaze drifted to the ceiling as he muttered:

"Thank Merlin for that!"

Yet he was not in the least bit relieved, for when he looked down again he found himself so shocked by what he saw that he leapt backwards from her, as if he had been hit with a stinging jinx, swearing in his surprised.

"What d'you think?" asked the uncharacteristically grinning face of Bellatrix Lestrange, arms held out temptingly. "Give us a kiss then!"

Despite getting over his shock, Younger Remus continued to back away until his back met the wall.

"You truly do have the most...most _unique_ sense of humour..." he mumbled, apparently deeply traumatized as Bellatrix began to strut her stuff down the corridor as if she were on a catwalk, whistling at herself and batting her eyelids. As she turned and advanced on him, Younger Remus shook his head.

"I swear, Dora, I've never seen anything more disturbing in my whole entire life, and believe me that's saying something, I've seen Sirius doing karaoke!"

As suddenly as she had appeared, Bellatrix was gone and replaced by Younger Tonks, who had halted her sniggering, instead looking intrigued.

"Sirius doing karaoke?!" she echoed, wide-eyed. "What did he sing?!"

Glad that he had her back to normal, Younger Remus reached to grab her hand and lead her into the flat.

"Well, get enough drink down him he'd bellow some Celestina Warbeck songs loud enough to wake the dead!"

Teddy followed them into the living room where he paused and turned to his mother, frowning.

"I don't get it," he said as behind him Younger Tonks had practically skipped off through a door and was loudly discussing with Younger Remus where they were going to and what he suggested she should wear. He was not much help to her, however, for he seemed determined to keep their destination a secret.

"You don't get what?" Older Tonks asked, as her younger counterpart threatened loudly that if Younger Remus dared allow her to wear heels and later insist on hiking up a mountain she would curse him into the middle of next week.

"Just now you were all freaking out 'cos of Bellatrix and how she was going to kill you! How can you _joke_ about her like that?!"

"This is quite a while later, remember Teddy. You get used to the danger and the risk, it becomes normal until you can joke about it." Older Tonks explained.

When Teddy failed to look completely convinced his father added helpfully:

"Basically, you're mother just has a rather sick sense of humour."

This did appear to make sense, Teddy decided as Older Tonks punched her husband gently on the arm and glared at him.

Teddy turned back just in time to see Younger Tonks reach to nudge the door shut behind her, still chattering loudly, attempting to persuade Younger Remus, stood patiently leaning against the back of the sofa in the living room, to tell her where they were going. As soon as the door had shut, Younger Remus' posture noticeably slackened and he reached to run a hand through his greying hair with the smallest of sighs. His hand dropped to his side quite suddenly and he straightened when the bedroom door was wrenched open just wide enough for Younger Tonks to stick her head out and look at him.

"Is it indoors or outdoors?" she asked, stare intent as she continued to guess where they were going.

He grinned and, pushing away from the sofa, took a few slow steps towards her, paused, looked around him as if to see if they were alone before slowly opening his mouth to reply. A small smile spread across her face, excited, before it disappeared within the blink of an eye when he said:

"You'll just have to wait and see."

She let out a small shriek of frustration and he chuckled, looking smug.

"Re-_mus_!!"

"Just accept it, Nymphadora. I am not going to tell you where we are going. That would defeat the whole point of it being a surprise..." he trailed off into silence at the sight of a wand emerging from the crack she was peering out of, it's end aimed directly at his chest. There was a long silence and he slowly held up his hands in mock-defeat.

"_Don't_ call me Nymphadora!"

Teddy watched Younger Remus fix a terribly serious expression on his face and his gaze dropped to the floor.

"Sorry Dora, I forgot." he told her, voice dripping with false sincerity.

"Damn right you're sorry!" she cried, lowering her wand. "Besides, it's my birthday! You have to be nice to me!" she giggled as he finally lowered his hands, assuming he was safe.

"Fair enough," he said, looking smug once more. "But when it is _my_ birthday I shall get to call you Nymphadora all day long, because it will be _my_ birthday. _You_ will have to be nice to _me_!"

In response she slammed the door shut, livid at the very idea and he looked pleased with himself for a moment, before his face fell somewhat and he recalled: "And on my next birthday I will be thirty-seven, and today you are twenty-four."

"What did you say?" Younger Tonks called from the other room, making him visibly flinch.

"Nothing," he called back, but from the way he proceeded to let out a large sigh and shake his head at his thoughts, Teddy was sure that the realisation had been far more than nothing.

"Oh..." Older Tonks mumbled, and Teddy glanced over his shoulder to see her give a sigh of her own, reaching to hug one of her husband's arms to her. "_That's_ what you said. You know, love, when Dumbledore gave you advice I always thought you'd listen to it."

Older Remus gave a small shrug.

"I did listen, I'm here, aren't I?" he gestured to his younger self who stood waiting in silence, looking far less cheerful than he had beforehand. "It's hardly easy to just forget your misgivings completely when you are told to, it takes time."

"True," Older Tonks agreed, just as the bedroom door was flung open and Younger Tonks bounded into the room, her irritation about her name seemingly forgotten. She had donned a pair of black jeans and a familiar bright purple t-shirt, the same that she had been wearing when she and Remus had met for the first time at Grimmauld Place. She came to an abrupt halt in front of Younger Remus and gave a dramatic twirl upon a trainer-clad foot.

"This okay?" she asked, wobbling precariously before standing still at last.

Teddy took in her bright, spiky hair, rosy cheeks and grinning face before glancing at the t-shirt that stopped short of her navel and jeans that seemed just a little too tight to be comfortable. She looked young, Teddy realised, _very _young in comparison to the man stood before her.

For the briefest of moments despair seemed to flicker across his features, but as soon as it appeared Younger Remus covered it with a slightly stunned smile.

"I'm not going to complain." he told her slowly, causing her to looked rather pleased with herself. "But a coat might be wise."

"Yeah, a coat..." she agreed, glancing around to spot where she had abandoned it. He reached over the back of the sofa and retrieved the item in question, holding it out for her.

"So, are you going to tell me where we're going yet?" she asked him as he helped her into her coat. He put his arms around her and his chin came to rest upon her shoulder as he said:

"Nope!"

"Argh,_ you_, Remus Lupin, are the most infuriating person I've ever met!" she declared as she squirmed in his arms in frustration.

"You know the sooner you give up asking me where we are going, the sooner we'll get there." he told her, releasing his hold upon her before taking her by the hand and leading her towards the door. Just outside there came the crack of disapparation and the scene dissolved once again...


	26. Too Dangerous

_Note: Thanks to my reviewers, you made my day! =)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**26: Too Dangerous**

Teddy found himself stood atop a hill, the highest for miles around untouched countryside, back facing woods and fields stretched out before him, perfect as a painting. In front of him Younger Tonks was laughing somewhat hysterically as she and Younger Remus struggled to stay upon their feet, his hands clamped over her eyes to ensure she could not see.

"Keep your eyes shut," he instructed when they finally got their balance and he let go of her. "Don't peek..." he pulled his wand from a pocket and turned towards the woods. He gave his wand the smallest of flicks and from behind a tree soared a large wicker picnic hamper and a neatly folded blanket that unfolded itself in the air and came to rest upon the grass. Younger Remus observed his handiwork for a long moment, nodded approval at himself and announced: "You can open your eyes now."

When she opened her eyes, Younger Tonks' mouth fell open in surprise and she appeared to be rendered speechless. Teddy was sure she must have been incredibly impressed, he had never thought it possible for her to be lost for words. She gazed around her, slowly turning until her eyes came to rest upon the hamper and Younger Remus stood watching her beside it.

"Where are we?" she asked eventually, grinning broadly.

Younger Remus shrugged and gestured vaguely behind him.

"My parents' cottage was the other side of the woods. This was practically our back garden."

"Really? Wow, must've been great to have all the woods and stuff to play in!" As she practically skipped over to the hamper and dropped to her knees before it, Younger Remus gave the smallest of nods. Teddy couldn't help but feel that he did not agree all that much. The werewolf slowly lowered himself down onto the blanket beside her, before pointing his wand at the hamper, causing the straps binding it shut to undo themselves.

"You gotta teach me to do that," Teddy told his father, such simple yet silent spells having impressed him for years.

"There's no hope of that until you're older," Older Tonks announced with a grin to match her younger counterpart. "Silent spells are far more complex than they appear."

Teddy folded his arms across his chest, irritated.

"You guys make it look easy! You and your bloody lazy hand gestures, Dad, it's mocking!"

"Language, Teddy." both parents replied automatically, eyes back on the scene before them.

"I think it's best you open it." Younger Remus said, smiling once again, and with that Younger Tonks reached forward and threw back the lid of the hamper.

Teddy gasped.

A small explosion of pink light appeared to burst forth from the inside of the hamper, before tiny glittering lights all the colors of the rainbow showered down upon the pair sat upon the blanket like the shattered fragments of a star. Younger Tonks stared up at it, eyes wide in awe and as the blizzard of color seemed to slow she turned towards Younger Remus, who seemed oblivious to the grand display, eyes fixed upon her instead, and threw her arms around him. His balanced failed him and they tumbled to the ground, causing her to let out a shriek of laughter.

When the blizzard had finally disappeared a long minute later, Teddy found that they had hardly moved from their collapsed position, her head now resting upon his chest, eyes closed as if asleep, his arms around her, one hand absently twirling a strand of pink hair around his finger.

"Filibuster's?" she guessed at last, eyes still shut.

"No."

"The Weasley twins?"

"No. It's a Marauder prank gone soft."

Younger Tonks sniggered at this.

"It was a beautiful present."

He shifted so that he could reach into the pocket of his robes and draw out a small elaborately wrapped box, holding it out in front of her temptingly.

"That wasn't your present." he told her, sounding pleased with himself.

Her lips formed a silent _oh_, surprised at the sight of what she was sure was a very expensive item. But she still smiled, taking the offered box carefully in both hands, studying the patterned paper closely.

"That's just the box it comes in," he told her, lips pressed against her hair in an attempt to keep a straight face at her child-like wonder.

"Yeah..." she mumbled, blushing as she reached to prise the paper open.

When she opened the box to find the bracelet glittering back at her, her shock was far greater than it had been upon opening the hamper.

"Oh Merlin..." she breathed, eyes as wide as snitches.

"You like it...?" he asked, suddenly anxious.

"Oh yes, I like it very much!" she confirmed, and he let out an audible sigh of relief.

"You better put it on then!" he said, sounding close to ecstatic on her behalf. He reached to slide the delicate item from it's box and she offered him her wrist, beaming.

"Mum told me about these when I went to visit the other day," she recalled as he clicked the bracelet into place and they both admired the swirling mist that settled upon a vivid pink heart shape. "She wouldn't be quiet about them, I thought they sounded amazing! Dad was getting fed up, said she'd spotted them in Diagon Alley the other week and pleaded with him to buy one for her. She said he'd not bought her a present for ages and he said that it wouldn't be a present, it would be his life savings down the drain..."

Teddy was sure that she had not told this story for the sake of it, but any point she was trying to make was lost when Younger Remus merely said:

"I'm sure she will be suitably jealous then."

Nothing more was said about the price, instead they stared at the shifting mist, murmuring approval at each new shape, commenting on how pretty it was. At last she let her hand fall and her fingers came to entwine with his as she shifted to look at him.

"Thank you," she said, forehead coming to rest against his. "It's the best present anybody ever bought me." She leant to kiss him and Teddy shut his eyes, causing his mother to snigger at him. He waited for the sound of voices again and couldn't help but be dismayed by how long this seemed to take. After what he was sure had been at least five minutes he heard Younger Tonks ask:

"So, what else is in the hamper?"

It was with relief that Teddy opened his eyes and watched Younger Remus extract a flask, mugs, plates, cutlery, a pot of jam, cream, and two enormous scones from the hamper, whilst Younger Tonks looked on, impressed. Teddy watched them have their picnic, the light banter he knew so well ever present for a long while until Younger Tonks had seemingly eaten her own weight in clotted cream and had washed it all down with two steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Once the picnic had been packed away again they sat staring absentmindedly out over the surrounding hills. After a while Teddy noticed she would occasionally glance to the side at Younger Remus, with an expression Teddy vaguely recognized as similar to that she had worn in the first memory he had ever stumbled across: Nervous.

"Remus?" she said at last, biting her lip as he turned to look at her.

"Hm?"

"It's my birthday," she reminded him slowly, before drawing in a large breath before saying: "And it's full moon tonight."

His gaze immediately snapped back to the scenery.

"Are you going to visit your parents?" he asked, causing her to visibly grimace.

"No," she said patiently. "I saw them first thing this morning."

"Molly's, then?"

"No..." There was a sizable pause before she said: "I want to spend my birthday with you....all of it with you..."

"Dora..."

"Why not, Remus? The other time you asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday and when I said I wanted to spend it with you you didn't have a problem with it..."

"I didn't think you meant it quite so literally..."

"You've taken Wolfsbane, it wouldn't be dangerous..."

"You can't be sure of that..."

"Sure I can, Hestia spent ages on that potion, I reckon she gave Snape a run for his money..."

"Dora..."

"I'll stay outside the door..."

"Dora, please..."

"...you won't even know I'm there!"

"Dora, for the love of Merlin..."

"I'll put enough charms up to keep a bloody giant trapped!"

"_No_!"

Both Younger Tonks and Teddy flinched. There was a long silence as Younger Remus buried his face in his hands, shoulders hunched.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, head hung. "I promised myself we'd talk about it sensibly...but I guess I've spent all day worrying about it and now...now I've just...blurted out stuff..."

"No, you've blurted out whatever comes to mind because we've already tried the sensible approach." he told her, hands falling into his lap. "We tried it the last full moon, remember?"

She sighed at the memory.

"Yeah...let's try not have it end up being shouting match like last time."

He reached to put an arm around her and her head came to rest upon his shoulder.

"Yes, let's," he agreed, "I don't want to ruin your birthday any more than I already have."

She shook her head vigorously.

"Don't be daft, last I checked you didn't have control over the movement of the planets!"

Again there was silence, then he said:

"I know you've thought all of this through, but there are a few things you don't know about."

"Like what?"

"There won't be a door to lock me behind, Dora."

She frowned deeply.

"Why not?" she asked, but quite suddenly realization dawned upon her face and her eyes widened. She bit her lip again, and before he could think of a response she seemingly changed the subject. "Kingsley took me for coffee the other day when we were at work." She paused before admitted: "He was telling me he'd seen a lot of you recently..."

Younger Remus made no response.

"...He said he sees you most mornings. He said you showed up the other week and left a trunk at his house...and you come and collect stuff from it..." she fingered the bracelet at her wrist, frowning, as if not sure if to continue. But at last she said: "He reckons you lost your house again."

Younger Remus looked only vaguely irritated.

"I wondered how long it would be before he told on me." he said. "Well, rather you than Molly I suppose..."

"Where are you going tonight then?" she asked bluntly, turning to face him directly.

"There's a place..." he mumbled, shrugging evasively, but she was not content with such a vague answer.

"Where are you going tonight, Remus?" she asked again, eyes piercing.

In reply he silently glanced meaningfully over his shoulder and she followed his gaze, eyes narrowing in disapproval.

"That's not the best idea you've ever come up with, now is it?" she said, nodding towards the woods behind them. "It wouldn't be safe, for _you_."

Younger Remus laughed, turning away from her intense stare.

"I shall transform in the woods where anybody could stumble across me and be attacked and you are concerned that it will not be safe for _me_!"

"That's right," she agreed stubbornly, hand coming to rest on his shoulder. "I've seen all that legislation the Ministry's passing, people are getting paranoid, anybody stumbles across a werewolf in the wood they'll catch you, lock you up...if you ended up dead I'd not be surprised..."

Laughing again he reached to rest his hand atop of hers.

"Come on, Dora, it's your birthday! Let me worry about me, okay? That reminds me..." Younger Remus reached into the pocket of his robes and drew out the glass bottle of wolfsbane potion.

Teddy watched him pull the stopper from the top with a popping sound before downing the murky liquid in a few large gulps.

"How is it?" Younger Tonks asked once he had finished drinking.

"Not the best thing I ever drank." he admitted, before frowning deeply. "It tastes...sour..."

"Sour?"

"Yes."

Younger Tonks pulled a face in disgust.

"Are you sure it'll be okay...to transform here?" she asked as he stored the bottle back inside his robes.

"I'm not very sure, no," he admitted darkly. "But it's very remote, the chances of somebody finding me...and as long as Hestia got the potion right..." he sighed heavily before turning to smile at her reassuringly. "It'll be fine."

And with that the scene dissolved once again, but this time Teddy felt as if he were being lifted upwards, the fading scene seemed to be far, far away and quite suddenly he felt hard stone floor under his feet. He blinked hard and looked around him, only to find himself back in Remus' office.

"It's your turn." Remus said, turning to Tonks, who did not look best pleased at this revelation.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." she muttered, eying her son thoughtfully, biting her lip.

"The rest won't make sense if you don't show him." Remus reminded her, gesturing towards the swirling silvery depths of the pensieve beside them.

Tonks continued to stare reluctantly at Teddy for a long moment before sighing deeply and extracting her wand from a deep pocket of her scarlet Auror robes. Teddy watched in fascination as she closed her eyes and pressed the tip of the wand to her temple, before drawing it away, bringing a series of winding silver threads with it.

Before he knew it, Teddy was falling into his parents' past once more.

And so it was that Teddy Lupin watched his mother's younger self walk towards the back door of the Burrow under the soft light of a full moon. Younger Tonks had barely knocked on the door before it was flung open to reveal Molly, Arthur, Charlie, Kingsley, Mad-Eye Moody and Hestia.

"Happy Birthday!" they all chorused excitedly, save for Moody who did little but grunt.

It was a perfectly normal scene, Teddy found, not particularly interesting. There was a cake with bright pink iced words: _Happy Birthday Tonks_, an array of sandwiches, sausage rolls and other such party food. Younger Tonks was suitably surprised and the members of the Order chatted cheerfully amongst themselves whilst the WWN played an array of crackly songs over the Weasleys' wireless. Yes, it was a perfectly pleasant evening. That was until, Teddy discovered, Hestia Jones gave up trying to speak with Moody and chose to speak to Tonks instead.

"Remus get the potion alright?" Hestia asked, snatching up a sausage roll and popping it into her mouth.

Younger Tonks nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, but I don't think you're quite up to Snape's standards, Hestia. Remus said it tasted sour, I thought he'd spit it right back out again!"

The two witches laughed, but halted suddenly as a voice behind them barked:

"_Sour_?!"

So loud and abrupt was Moody's voice that silence quickly descended over the gathered Order members.

"Yeah..." Younger Tonks confirmed slowly, turning to shoot the grizzled old Auror a questioning look. "He said it tasted sour..."

"A proper wolfsbane potion doesn't taste _sour_!" Moody snapped, glaring at Hestia, who went a bright shade of pink.

"Well people use different things to change its taste..." she babbled, as Younger Tonks turned to look at her again, panicked. "Anyway, if there was something wrong with it Remus would have noticed...wouldn't he...?"

There was silence as Hestia squirmed under the collective stare of every witch and wizard in the room.

"W...well wouldn't he?!" she asked, hands clutched together before her timidly.

Over by the kettle, Molly had gone pale.

"I doubt it," she said quietly, causing everybody to turn to look at her.

"Why ever not? He's taken it enough times!" Hestia protested, determined not to be blamed for the mistake.

"Remus got a T for OWL level potions." Molly squeaked, hand coming to cover her mouth as if she regretted admitting it.

"That potion's useless!" Moody announced. "Sour wolfsbane! In all my years..."

"Shut up Mad-Eye!" Younger Tonks cried, pushing past him and hurrying towards the back door.

"Where are you going?" Hestia asked, only for Younger Tonks to turn and scowl at her.

"Because somebody screwed up the potion there's now a bloody fully-fledged werewolf on the loose out there!" The metamorphmagus snapped, practically tearing her cloak as she yanked it from its hook by the door. "It's bloody dangerous! If Remus was to hurt a damn _fly_ he'd never forgive himself! Well?! What are you all waiting for?!"

And with that the assembled members of the Order of the Phoenix leapt into action, there was a rush to reach the door and within seconds they had all disappeared out into the night, disapparating with a series of loud _cracks_.

The scene dissolved once more...


	27. A Near Miss

_Note: This chapter is dedicated to my epic friend **betterclassofcriminal**, who saw David Thewlis out with his nephew in London and was gracious enough not to point and shout "ZOMG YOU'RE LUPIN!!!!"._

_I do not really hate you! =)_

_Well...not **that** much....!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**27: A Near Miss**

Dense trees blotting out the moon's soft glow, damp slippery leaves underfoot and an eerie silence that immediately put Teddy on edge.

This was the scene that the young Gryffindor found himself in, eyes blinking as a voice muttered lumos, revealing Younger Tonks stood just in front of him, wand raised, ready for whatever might leap from the darkness.

"Remember," a gruff voice from behind them announced as another couple of wand tips were lit. "Don't hesitate! Stun it before it can get too close..."

"It's _him_, Mad-Eye!" Younger Tonks snapped, turning to glower in the older Auror's direction. "It's _him_, not _it_!"

"Him, her, it, doesn't make the blindest bit of difference, Nymphadora!" Moody told her darkly. "Whatever you call it, it's still a werewolf! Don't let it get close to you, and keep your wits about you! Constant Vigilance! Start being sluggish and you can forget it biting you, it'll tear you to shreds!"

Teddy watched Younger Tonks let out a long, shuddering breath.

"Yeah...wits...got it..." she mumbled, turning away from Moody as if determined to hide the fear upon her face.

And with that the assembled members of the Order of the Phoenix dispersed into the woods to begin their search. Teddy and his parents trailed after Younger Tonks until they could no longer see the other Order members behind them, and Younger Tonks halted in her tracks. Teddy watched her take a couple of slow, calming breaths, only for her to hear rustling in the trees behind her, causing her to spin round with a gasp, wand raised. Seeing nothing but greenery swaying in a breeze, the young Auror scowled.

"Idiot," she scolded herself quietly, turning back and slowly continuing on her path. "There's no need to get all jumpy and pathetic about this," she told herself aloud. "It's not like you've never seen or stunned a werewolf before!" Shining the light from her wand down a fork in the path hesitatingly, she mused: "Just not one you're bloody in love with, that's all..."

At every rustle of the undergrowth and every strong breeze, Teddy found himself flinching, heart pounding in his chest. After her initial panic, however, Younger Tonks no longer seemed fazed by her task and she advanced through the forest, cautious yet confident, turning at every sound yet no longer gasping in panic as she checked her back. Despite his terror, Teddy couldn't help but feel the swell of pride in his chest at just how professional and alert she seemed. Indeed, he thought happily, that the woman stood before him would one day rise to be Head of Aurors at the Ministry did not surprise him at all. Unbeknown to Teddy, however, he would soon discover that Younger Tonks' supposed calm and professionalism was not all that it seemed.

After what felt like at least half an hour to Teddy, there was still no sign of a werewolf in the woods and the boy felt himself relaxing slightly. That was until a deep, spine-chilling howl pierced the air behind them, causing Teddy's stomach to twist into knots.

Younger Tonks spun on her heel to look behind her, gazing through the trees, grip on her wand tightening. Teddy watched her wet her lips, taking a cautious step forward.

"You there, Remus?" he heard her whisper, taking another step forward.

There came another howl, closer this time, but it was cut off abruptly and in the distance Teddy saw a flash of red light streak through the trees, striking a trunk with a _thud_!

And then there came the sound of pounding feet on soil and through the darkness a huge shadowy figure bolted towards them.

Younger Tonks swore loudly before hurrying to the side of the path and launching herself into the cover of the nearby bushes.

The werewolf came hurtling down the path, before coming to an abrupt halt besides the bushes that concealed the Auror. It paused to sniff the air.

And so it was that Teddy Lupin came face to face with his first transformed werewolf. He did not feel particularly startled by the sight of it, indeed he found himself more curious than anything else. He took in its thick, shaggy coat of fur, its enormous clawed paws, the deep gold of its piercing, bright eyes, so different to his father's, and finally his gaze came to rest upon its long, pointed teeth. At this final sight, Teddy felt a lump form in his throat as the creature turned its head and stared at the bushes. It knew, he realised, heart racing once again, it could smell her...

From back up the path another stunning spell came shooting forwards, again missing it's target, striking the ground just behind the creature. Distracted, the werewolf turned to examine the source of the shudder that ran through the earth, and as it turned away from the bushes, Younger Tonks leapt from her hiding place, wand raised ready to strike...

...and promptly froze, incantation dying on her lips as the werewolf turned back to regard her with its bright predatory eyes.

"Stun him, Tonks!" Kingsley's voice commanded as the other Auror continued to sprint up the path towards the scene. "Stun him, _now_!"

Witch and werewolf regarded each other, a frozen tableau with each ready to attack.

"_Tonks_!" Kingsley's desperate shout seemed to fall on death ears. Teddy watched Younger Tonks stare into the predator's eyes, searching. Slowly she wet her lips, breathing shaky as she whispered:

"Are you in there?"

A soft growl left the werewolf's throat, it bared its teeth and she took a small step backwards.

"Tonks for the love of Merlin stun him!" Kingsley roared, taking aim and firing another stunning spell that missed by mere inches.

Younger Tonks raised her wand, swallowing hard. But then she admitted:

"I can't stun you. I'll hurt you, and I can't..."

"Remus isn't there, Tonks, it's a bloody werewolf! Now stun him!" Kingsley roared, still too far away to aim successfully, yet this did not stop him from trying. A fresh attempt again missed by mere inches, causing the werewolf's growl to become louder. It dropped in a crouch ready to strike...

It all seemed to happen in slow motion to Teddy, and yet it was over fast enough for him to wonder just what he had seen. The werewolf lunged forward towards Younger Tonks with a snarl, she backed off, slipping upon wet leaves and falling flat on her back as the creature pounced, paws above her as she choked:

"_Stupefy_!"

As her spell struck it directly in the head, Kingsley's latest attempt to subdue the werewolf hit it's back, tossing it up into the air before it fell to the ground beside Younger Tonks with a loud _thud_, out cold.

Younger Tonks flopped down onto the ground with a shaky sigh as Kingsley reached her, positively panting after the chase.

"Let me see you!" he cried, grabbing hold of her and pulling her up into a sitting position. "Merlin, he didn't get you did he?! What's this on your arm?!"

It appeared to Teddy that Younger Tonks seemed only able to shake her head numbly, but this did not seem enough to Kingsley.

"What's on your arm, Tonks?!" he cried, shaking her firmly by the shoulder.

"F..from the bushes..." she mumbled, causing him to give a sigh of relief. Having decided that his fellow Order member was suitably well, Kingsley stood up once again and sent his patronus off to tell the others what had happened. Then cords sprung from thin air and Teddy watched somewhat miserably as the werewolf's limp body was tied up, restraining it in case it were to awaken.

From her position sprawled on the ground, Younger Tonks gave a sniff, the sight finally too much to bear. She slumped forward, head coming to rest upon the creature's stomach, hands grasping fistfuls of fur.

No matter how many times Kingsley scolded and warned her, the young Auror appeared deaf to the world as she lay, finally sobbing into the limp werewolf's coat. When the rest of the Order appeared, Teddy watched them drag her to her feet, much as they dragged the werewolf's body between four of them, before disapparating with a crack.


	28. Gone

_Note: VERY unsure about this chapter, so reviews would be greatly appreciated._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**28: Gone**

The next memory to materialized reveal a large number of the members of the Order of the Phoenix sat around a highly polished dining room table in a room that Teddy did not recognise.

"Kingsley's," his mother informed him, just as the door to the hallway opened and Albus Dumbledore entered, today clad in robes of deep, rich red. He paused in the doorway, surveying the people before him through his half-moon spectacles before asking:

"Has Remus arrived yet?"

Indeed upon glancing around at the gathered Order members Teddy discovered that the werewolf appeared to be missing. Just in front of the boy Younger Tonks sunk low in her seat and beside her Molly's gaze dropped to her lap. From the opposite side of the table Hestia Jones cleared her throat meaningfully.

"Remus is _ill_." she announced disbelievingly, and at Dumbledore's frown Kingsley added:

"He's asleep upstairs..."

"He's not asleep," Hestia corrected, rolling her eyes at their host's foolishness. "He's hiding, he's not ill in the slightest..."

"How would you know?" Younger Tonks asked irritably. "You've not even seen him!"

"Well you've not seen him either so I don't see how you could know!" Hestia retorted. "Molly said he nearly burst a blood vessel when she suggested you look in on him..."

Molly's cheeks burnt scarlet as Younger Tonks glanced at her, furious that she would divulge such information.

"No, I've not seen him, but I don't think he would lie to us about it..."

"Of course he would lie about it, he's avoiding you like the plague!"

Younger Tonks' hair went from blonde to red in the blink of an eye, she opened her mouth to argue back but Dumbledore beat her to it.

"If Remus does not deem himself well enough to join us, that is entirely his affair. I am sure he will rejoin us as soon as he feels recovered." And with that the two witches ceased their bickering, but as Dumbledore took his seat at the head of the table Teddy couldn't help but notice the heated glares that they shot at one another across the room. He supposed that Younger Tonks and Hestia were not on the best of terms after the wolfsbane incident. He asked his father how long it had been since that disastrous night, and Remus told him that it had been a week precisely.

"Only Molly and Kingsley had seen me since," he explained. "And your mother blamed Hestia for the whole incident..."

"It was her fault!" Older Tonks interjected.

"..._still blames_ Hestia for the whole incident." her husband corrected with a sigh.

"Why the hell did you trust her to brew it anyway?!"

"Let's not start that one again, Dora, she was a qualified Healer, I assumed she knew what she was doing..."

"Which idiot gave her a qualification?!"

Older Remus rolled his eyes.

"You're mother's not one to hold a grudge, Theodore," he informed his son with a raised eyebrow.

Back around the table as Dumbledore finished talking and Moody began to drone on about something that sounded dreadfully boring to Teddy, Younger Tonks and Hestia appeared to be having a staring contest. They glared, unblinking at one another, not even moving when Kingsley rose to his feet and asked if anybody would like a cup of tea.

"Hestia? Tea?" He repeated the offer as all but the two witches saw this as an opportunity to migrate towards the living room. "Tonks?"

"Yeah, please," Younger Tonks said as Hestia finally blinked and nodded. The latter rose to her feet and followed the others into the living room, leaving Younger Tonks to get up and wander after Kingsley into the kitchen. Teddy followed, watching her lean against a counter, watching her fellow Auror summon milk and sugar.

"Go on then," she mumbled, shoulders slumped. "Tell me how I've totally ruined everything with Remus and how I shouldn't be such a bitch to Hestia."

Kingsley glanced at her, a look of sympathy on his face.

"Sounds like you've told yourself already." Steam began to billow out from the kettle with a shrill whistle and he began to pour. She watched him in silence for a long moment, hugging her arms around herself before asking:

"Kingsley?"

"Tonks?" he glanced at her again as he began to add milk.

"D'you....d'you think Remus'll forgive me?"

Kingsley frowned as he picked up two mugs of tea and turned towards her.

"That would depend..." he said slowly, causing her to look rather panicked.

"Depend on what?"

"On what you mean by forgive. Do I think he'll get over the fact he was about half a second away from biting you the other night? Not a chance! But do I think the pair of you can still be friends...I doubt he'll hide from you forever, so yes."

"You think he'll be my friend?"

"Yes. And you can start being a decent friend by taking him a cup of tea." he pushed the two mugs into her hands and gave her a small nudge towards the door. As she went Teddy distinctly heard her miserably mumble:

"But I don't want us to just be friends again."

Teddy followed her into the hallway and upstairs, she only tripped once, spilling tea upon Kingsley's immaculate carpet, swearing under her breath. She made her way to the end of the landing. The door to the guest room was firmly closed. She lingered outside, to Teddy's misery she appeared to be on the verge of tears, but after a long few minutes she appeared to have composed herself. Not bothering to knock, for her hands were full and Teddy expected she would be denied entry if she did, she struggled to push the door handle down with an elbow before kicking the door open.

From his position sat upon the bed, legs stretched out before him and book in hand, Younger Remus looked up to see who his visitor was. Teddy couldn't help but get the impression that he was not best pleased when his eyes came to rest upon the witch in the doorway.

"Hi..." Younger Tonks greeted rather uncertainly as she shuffled into the room, cheeks tinged as he stared at her blankly as if struggling to understand what she was doing there. "Kingsley's neglecting his duties as host," she explained, holding up the mugs of tea which he observed with an equally bemused expression. "He asked me to bring your tea up for you." She walked carefully over to the bedside table and placed one mug down, disappointed by his mumbled:

"Thanks Tonks."

As his gaze returned to the pages of his book her face fell, but she lingered beside him, as if reluctant to leave. After a moment he glanced up at her expectantly and she hastily turned towards the door.

"I...I'll just....y'know...have a good evening Remus..."

As she reached the doorway he looked back down at his book, mumbling:

"You too Tonks."

Where his words had caused her to despair, Teddy found, this time she looked close to tears. But she turned abruptly back to face Younger Remus, clutching her mug in both hands as if for comfort.

"So it's Tonks now, then?" she asked, and when he replied his eyes did not leave the text he was reading.

"That's your name. It's what we all call you."

"It's what _they_ all call me. But not you. You call me Dora." Teddy supposed she meant this to be a statement of fact, an attempt to correct his mistake, but she did not sound too sure of herself.

"Your father calls you Dora." he corrected, reaching to turn a page.

"Yeah. And so do you." she insisted, taking a step back towards him. There was silence as he considered her words, eyes staring but no longer seeing the words before him.

The book snapped shut in his hands, causing both Younger Tonks and Teddy to jump. Younger Remus returned to staring at the intruder, more bemused than ever.

"Only you and Dad call me Dora." she told him, more firmly this time as she took another step forward, "and I like you calling me Dora."

As Younger Remus frowned deeply, Teddy found himself feeling equally as confused. Why she ought kick up such a fuss about a name was beyond him, after all Victoire went around calling him Teddy Bear for Merlin's sake, but he never cared much! What was in a name, anyway?

But then Younger Remus finally spoke again and it occurred to Teddy that names were merely the tip of a very large iceberg.

"Things are not the same as they were last week, Tonks. We can't just go on as if nothing happened, it would be foolish."

Younger Tonks did not seem at all surprised by this revelation, and she came to perch on the end of the bed, hands clutched together in her lap.

"That's the thing, though," she said quietly, and Teddy watched her draw in a deep breath as if readying herself for some sort of struggle. "I'm not convinced that things have changed all that much....I mean...I'm still the same old me, you're still the same old you, I still love you, and you..." she halted her speech abruptly, head dipping miserably. Teddy felt something in his chest constrict. But as soon as he felt his chest tighten it loosened again because Younger Remus said softly:

"And I still love you."

Younger Tonks' face brightened and she began to smile...

"And that's why things have to change. I love you far too much to put you at risk like I have done, Merlin knows what I was thinking, I suppose you caught me off guard after Sirius, I've made a terrible mistake..."

"Terrible mistake?!"

Teddy sucked in a sharp breath as the smile disappeared from her face and her hair faded to a bleak, mousy brown. "You think...you think I am a terrible mistake?!"

Younger Remus visibly gulped at his careless words and the book fell from his hands.

"No, not at all..." he said hurriedly, and Teddy was troubled to see him loose his calm, for it was something truly rare to behold.

"It's what you just said!" Younger Tonks cried, eyes wide with hurt.

"Yes...but..."

"But you didn't mean it?! Since when did _you_ ever say anything so bloody cold by accident?! You're meant to be the bloody thoughtful one, you don't even insult _Snape_ by accident, for Merlin's sake, and even McGonagall doesn't manage that all the time!"

And with that, she burst into tears.

Younger Remus shifted uncomfortably as if debating what he should do, and as salty tears streamed freely down her face, Teddy despaired at the sight.

"Smooth, Dad," he muttered, and when he glanced back to see his parents' reaction he found his father appeared to be very interested in his shoes and his mother had her arms folded, expression dark.

At last Younger Remus seemed to decide upon a course of action and he reached for his wand that lay upon the bedside table before conjuring a large cotton handkerchief. He swung his legs round to the side of bed and shifted until he was sat beside her.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know I didn't," he said, pushing the handkerchief into her limp hands. It fell to the floor.

"What do I know about what you mean?" she sniffed as he leaned forward to pick it up again. "Nobody knows what you truly mean, Remus, sometimes I doubt even you do."

He pushed the handkerchief into her hands again and she took it, scrunching it up into a ball.

"What I meant was that _I_ was a mistake, you dating me was a mistake, you dating a werewolf was a mistake..."

"It could have been any werewolf in those woods, Remus, it makes no difference that it was you."

"Of course it makes a difference, Tonks, how in Merlin's name could it not do? Besides, I've spoken to Kingsley, he told me you waited until the last possible moment to stun me."

"Yeah, but I did stun you, that's what matters..."

"Half a second longer and I could have bitten you! If knowing it was me causes you to be foolish enough to take such a huge risk you can't possibly think I'd let us carry on like before! Not when I love you as I do! You're safer off without me."

Again she let the handkerchief fall to the floor. He did not move to retrieve it. A heavy atmosphere hung over the now silent room as she struggled to think of something to say to him. When she finally looked up at him and drew in a deep breath ready to argue her cace he shook his head firmly.

"Don't." he told her, voice surprisingly firm for one who had been attempting to be comforting. "Please don't ask me to change my mind. I can't let it carry on, I always feared something like this would happen, it's bad enough now it has, I can't bring myself to risk it happening again."

Teddy watched as her shoulders slumped, the fight gone from her, despite what he had said her head came to rest upon his shoulder and he made no move to stop her.

"What now?" she whispered, tears still flowing down her cheeks.

"I don't know," he admitted quietly, sounding slightly confused by the question. "I...I suppose you...go downstairs and tell the others what a complete and utter bastard I am..."

"I don't mean that." she told him, voice suddenly quite business-like though she did not move from his shoulder as if she was struggling to accept what was happening. Teddy supposed she was trying to pretend that she didn't really care about what had occurred, possibly for dignity's sake for he seemed to be managing well and she ought attempt to match him. "I mean what...what are we now?"

"I don't know," he said again, and he glanced towards the window. Teddy shuffled forward for a closer look and upon closer inspection found that the werewolf had tears in his eyes.

"We can figure that one out another time, I guess." Younger Tonks said with a sniff, and quite abruptly she got to her feet and straightened her robes. Younger Remus did not reply, he was still staring out of the window. "I guess I'll be going..." she told him, eyes upon his face, Teddy was sure she too could see the tears. "Go tell the others what a bastard you are..."

She turned and shuffled from the room, letting the door swing shut behind her.

And so it was that Teddy Lupin saw his father break up with his mother for a third time.

And for the first time since he had entered the pensieve, the boy felt tears seeping from his eyes.


	29. Fire and Water

_Note: Sorry for the lack of updates, my pc has died on me and I also randomly decided to start a new fic, the sequel to this one! Here is a scene requested by one of my lovely reviewers, __**I 4 2 write**__, I hope you enjoy it! I will not be focusing on the Hospital Wing scene itself, that's J K Rowling's business, not mine (as far as any of this is "mine", which is not far at all!) I would only tarnish it! Reviewers get metaphorical cookies and the knowledge that you have made me smile!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**29: Fire and Water**

Before Teddy could recover from his despair he found himself witness of a gravely injured Bill Weasley, a host of shocked and weeping Order members and, most upsetting by far, a bleak confrontation between his parents' younger selves, all in the confides of Hogwarts School's Hospital Wing. He watched with the deepest despair as Younger Remus left the room at the first opportunity open to him. Younger Tonks, hair limp and dull, face flushed with a mixture of anger and frustration at being rejected yet again, slipped out soon after, and it was she that Teddy and his parents followed through the silent corridors of Hogwarts. Teddy found himself leaving the castle and walking out across the deserted grounds. He looked back at the castle and shuddered at the sight of the Dark Mark floating above the Astronomy tower, a bleak, ominous stain upon the dreary clouded sky. Younger Tonks stumbled mindlessly across the grass, shoulders hunched against the fierce wind that was blowing and tears silently leaked down her cheeks. After a while, like Teddy, she glanced back at the castle and at the sight of the Dark Mark she let out a strangled sob and fell to her knees, fists clenched into tight balls.

"Bloody traitor!" she shrieked in the direction of the mocking symbol in the sky. "Bloody greasy traitorous bastard! We trusted you! We bloody trusted you!" she bowed her head, shoulders heaving with tears. "We'll track you down," she told the Dark Mark, lifting her head to glower at it, voice hoarse from tears and shouting. "_I'll_ track you down! You and all the bloody others, I don't give a damn what it takes, what the hell do I have left now anyway?! Dumbledore is d…dead…gone and Sirius is gone a…a…and Remus, Remus doesn't w…want me…d…doesn't even l…love me! He doesn't love me, he…he doesn't, he doesn't!" and with that she fell forward on the grass and wept in her hopeless misery.

Teddy watched her lie there for what seemed like forever. It began to rain, lightly at first but soon it came down in sheets and the child observed miserably as the young Auror lay oblivious, shivering violently, soaked and wretched in the mud. Footsteps sounded, squelching across the soaked grass and Teddy turned to see Younger Remus hurrying towards the sorry scene, the rain having already thoroughly soaked his clothes.

"Tonks?! Molly's been looking every…oh Merlin…" the werewolf came to a halt just beside the sobbing witch, who appeared completely oblivious to his presence. He did not hesitate to pull the cloak from his shoulders and crouch down beside her, throwing it about her shoulders. "Come on," he told her kindly. "Come on, on your feet." He attempted to pull her up from her position sprawled on the ground, but she made no effort to move as if she still did not register he was there at all. As he strained to move her with little success he paused in his struggle and attempted to reason with her.

"Tonks, it's freezing out here, you'll catch your death, come on we'll get you inside and find a fire…"

He trailed off into silence as her wide-eyed somewhat blank gaze came to rest upon him, and for a moment Teddy watched them stare at one another, unmoving. Finally she spoke, a mere whisper that the boy hardly heard above the howling wind and relentless rain.

"You don't love me," she accused, and with that she reached to prise his hands from her with surprising force for one so crumpled and distraught. "What do you care if I catch my death? You'd be glad to get rid of me, I wouldn't be an embarrassment for you anymore, you wouldn't have to pretend to like me, you…you…let go of me!" She shouted the final words, causing Teddy to flinch, but Younger Remus did not release her.

"I won't," he told her, grip tightening when she resorted to digging her nails into his skin to make him release her. "Tonks, you've been out here for over half an hour…"

"So what?!! Just let go!!"

Teddy edged forward and looked down at the pair, drawing in a sharp breath at the struggle, her nails had punctured his skin but he seemed not to notice.

"I won't let go, Tonks," he told her, voice oddly quiet compared to her hysterics. "Half an hour's a long time…"

"And?! I don't give a damn, don't pretend that you do either!"

"…You can do a lot of thinking in half an hour…"

"I don't care, just let go of me!"

"I won't let go, not yet, I'm not finished yet."

"I don't care if you are or not, Remus, I don't even want to listen!"

"That's the thing, Tonks, you do care and you do want to listen, you _are_ listening."

"Oh for the love of Merlin…" she groaned, shoulders slumping in defeat. He continued as if she had never interrupted him.

"You can do a lot of thinking in half an hour, and I don't know about you but I certainly have done. And I was thinking about how many people I've lost now and…Merlin Tonks I'm losing everybody and I know I'll lose some more come the end, but I know I'll pick myself up somehow, and knowing that made me feel a little better. But then I thought of earlier and…and I wondered what in Merlin's name I was thinking because if I were to lose you, Dora, I…I don't know what I would do, I'd not know how to carry on, life wouldn't be worth the fighting and…and that's why I won't let go. I won't let go of you because I love you and I'd give up on the world without you."

There was a very long silence, punctured by the falling rain as she stared at him, eyes wide in surprise.

"So…so get up," he told her, sounding rather embarrassed by his sudden grand declaration. "And let me take you inside into the warm, I can't stand to see you in such a state, you're frozen…" he repositioned his hands over hers as if attempting to warm them.

She stared numbly at him for another long moment before drawing in a deep breath.

"You mean it?" she asked timidly, as if she feared he would reply in the negative.

"Every word." He assured her, and quite suddenly she pulled her hands free of his and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him fiercely. He rearranged his cloak about her shoulders before putting his arms around her with a sigh of relief. His gaze wandered over towards the Dark Mark still looming above the Astronomy Tower and to Teddy's surprise he smiled.

"We're not beaten yet," he murmured, and Younger Tonks shifted in his arms to look in the same direction.

"No, we're not," she agreed, and Teddy was sure that he saw the tips of her drenched locks tinge a familiar pink.

"Come on," Younger Remus said, averting his gaze quite suddenly as if pulling himself from a daze. The pair struggled to their feet, still keeping a firm hold of one another, and stumbled off back up towards the castle. Their progress was slow and they seemed to lean heavily upon one another and the staircases they reached were taken one small step at a time. Teddy and his parents followed them through the castle until they reached the Charms office, its door left open, and seeing it was unoccupied they wandered inside. There Younger Remus finally released the bedraggled Auror in order to shut the door firmly behind them, not forgetting to lock it for good measure. He proceeded to send flames leaping into life in the fireplace and they shunned the armchairs in favour of the rug-clad floor for it was just a little closer to the crackling warmth. They sat silently staring into the fire, each lost in thought before Younger Tonks sighed heavily and Teddy saw tears were threatening to leak from her eyes again.

"Dumbledore's gone." She reminded Younger Remus, whose gaze dropped to his lap. When he said nothing she said: "I can't believe it."

Teddy watched him reach to take hold of her hand, cradling it in both of his.

"I don't either," he said, taking a turn at sighing. "But I will soon, it will hit me."

"At least it will hit us," she mused hopefully, head coming to rest on his shoulder. "Instead of you and me."

Younger Remus smiled for a brief moment, and then they both lapsed back into thought. A minute later it was she again who broke the silence.

"So…you're sure? About us, I mean…"

"Very sure." He assured her, giving her hand a squeeze.

Younger Tonks bit her lip a little as she asked:

"How can you be sure? How can _I_ be sure?"

The silence that followed was a very long one indeed and Teddy watched the slowly shifted expressions upon Younger Remus' face as he considered the question. As she rested against him, Younger Tonks' eyes drifted closed.

Then, quite suddenly, Younger Remus said:

"Marry me."

Younger Tonks' eyes snapped open wide, and behind her Teddy found his own doing the same.

"W…what?"

Younger Remus straightened up slightly and turned to face Younger Tonks, his expression determined.

"I said _marry me_," he repeated, causing her mouth to fall open in surprise.

"Marry you?" she repeated slowly, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. Teddy couldn't quite believe it either. Although he knew his parents had got married in a hurry, like many did during the war, he had always imagined his father's proposal to be far more carefully planned and grand than what he was witnessing now.

"Yes, marry me! I _know_ I'm sure, I'll _show_ you I'm sure, I'll marry you!" For a brief moment Younger Remus looked somewhat triumphant at his solution to her doubt, but quite suddenly his face fell and he mumbled: "If…if you…if you want to…" his cheeks reddened somewhat when Younger Tonks giggled.

"You know," she said, looking very much amused by his mumblings, "an hour ago you didn't want to be with me at all, let alone marry me…"

"That's not true." He corrected. "I'll have you know I've dreamt of marrying you on many occasions."

"Yeah?" she grinned at him, flattered. "How was it?"

"Marry me and find out for yourself." Came the evasive reply, and Younger Tonks giggled again, but she soon stopped and regarded him thoughtfully as if determining whether or not he truly meant what he said. Then a wide smile bloomed upon her heart shaped face and she announced:

"Alright then, let's do it!" she held up a hand to silence him when he positively gasped for air in his rush to express his sudden elation. "Just promise me you won't go selling a kidney or something to buy me an engagement ring."

Teddy grinned as Younger Remus let out a sudden laugh of triumph as he threw his arms around her and pulled her close against him.

"Oh I promise no such thing!" he told her ecstatically. "I'd sell anything to buy you a ring, Dora, I'd sell my own heart if you hadn't stolen it already!"

Teddy watched the scene, beaming, and behind him Older Tonks grinned and muttered:

"Up yours, Bellatrix!"


	30. An Announcement

_Note: Apologies everybody, not only has my computer broken but the laptop has also decided to die too, we now have one computer to share amongst the family. I know that sounds perfectly reasonable, but when it comes to computers we are a bunch of spoilt brats and so we are constantly fighting to use it! I was halfway through a chapter of Without a Trace and do not want to start over so that fic will not be updated until we have removed the hardrive from the laptop...that could take a long while. _

_On the bright side this means that Lies and Letters is the only fic I plan on updating at the moment and so it's updates may be a little faster. I have exams for the next few weeks though so they will not be super fast quite yet! Hopefully this fic will be finished soon enough, though. _

_Wow, what a long Note, I must be boring you by now. So, on with the show..._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling owns it all. _

**30: An Announcement **

As the next memory materialised Teddy felt excitement bubble up inside of him at the realisation that he was stood in the living room of his grandmother's house, his parents' younger selves sat upon the immaculate leather sofa, Younger Remus' eyes fixed upon his feet, hands restless in his lap as Younger Tonks sat bolt upright, still as a statue.

"Is my grandfather here?!" Teddy asked his mother, and she smiled at him, nodding.

"He certainly is," Older Remus said, reaching to put an arm around his wife's shoulders.

The excitement of being about to see his grandfather alive for the first time outside of photographs was diminished slightly as it occurred to Teddy that the experience would no doubt be a painful one for his mother.

"Oh Merlin," Younger Remus' muttering drew Teddy's attention back to the scene he was witnessing. "I want to go home."

"Well I did say we should just owl them, but you _do_ insist on doing things properly..." Younger Tonks did not appear to be in the best of moods, Teddy decided. In fact she seemed verging on furious.

"We couldn't just _owl_ them!"

"Why not? Loads of people do it."

"Because they're your parents! You need them and they need you!"

"They hardly see me."

"If we eloped they'd _never_ see you!"

Younger Tonks pursed her lips together in irritation before admitting:

"True. Mum would probably disown me. Then again, she's probably going to disown me anyway. They'll never agree to this, you know."

"But we have to at least give them a chance. Salvage what we can..." Younger Remus sighed heavily, shaking his head. "What am I saying?" he groaned, slumping slightly in his seat and Younger Tonks reached to grasp his hand reassuringly.

"Don't worry," she told him, offering him a small smile. "It's just a formality, remember. We are going to get married, whether they like it or not."

"I know, it's just..." Younger Remus reached to run a hand over his face, frowning deeply. "I don't want you to end up estranged from them, Dora, not because of me."

"Don't worry," Younger Tonks said again, giving his hand a squeeze. "I'm sure they won't be thrilled right now, but they'll get used to the idea. I mean my Mum can hardly complain, she eloped herself, and Dad...well he never stays mad at me for long, no matter what I do. In fact I reckon they'll both like you! Mum's big on manners, and nobody's got as perfect manners as you, love! They know all about you from me and Sirius, they already like you! And Dad's still traumatized from the last time I brought a guy back to meet them, after him I could bring bring _'Dung_ home and Dad would welcome him with open arms!"

"What happened?" Younger Remus asked, sounding as though he was sure he would regret asking but felt obliged to do so.

"He had some tattoos...in some undesirable places...he mentioned them to Dad over coffee..."

"_Oh_."

"Yeah...Dad choked on his chocolate digestive..."

The pair lapsed into silence and Teddy could hear the clinking of china in the next room as Tonks' parents were no doubt making tea for their visitors.

"They seemed happy enough when we arrived," Younger Tonks said at last, another attempt at being optimistic.  
"That's probably because you said _Hi Mum we've popped in for a cuppa, this is Remus, by the way, you know Sirius' mate? We work together_, rather than _Hi Mum you might want to poor yourself a glass of something strong and sit down, I'm here to tell you that I plan to marry this man you've never seen before, except in the Prophet for being a danger to school children_..."

" Everything's going to be fine!" Younger Tonks interrupted quite loudly, just as the door opened, causing both of them to jump, straightening in their seats. Teddy watched with bated breath as his grandmother, hair a soft brown where he was used to grey, came into the room carrying a tray of tea and biscuits, and behind her came Ted Tonks, alive and well, wide smile upon his face as he shut the kitchen door and took a seat in the armchair that, in years to come, Teddy would always sit in after eating Sunday lunch. Teddy took a few steps forward, desperate to take in as much as the image as he could as Andromeda set the tray down upon the coffee table and began to pour tea. The pair on the sofa struggled to think of something to say to begin the dreaded conversation, but Andromeda beat them to it.

"Sugar, Remus?"

"No thank you, Mrs Tonks."

As she reached to pass him a cup and saucer, Andromeda eyed her visitor somewhat curiously, making her daughter fidget in her seat.

"This is a nice surprise," Andromeda said, smiling at last as she handed a second cup and saucer to Younger Tonks. "We see so little of you these days Nymphadora, we were starting to think you'd forgotten about us."

"Yeah...well it's been pretty busy. And what with Dumbledore..." Younger Tonks trailed off into silence, words lost at the very thought of what had become of the Order leader.

"I still can't quite believe it." Ted murmured sadly, shaking his head. "Even when I read the papers, doesn't seem real, does it 'Dromeda?"

"No," his wife agreed, taking a sip of her tea. "Merlin knows what will happen now. What will the Order do? Choose a new leader?"

Suddenly the room was lit up by a bright silvery light as a dazzling weasel patronus seemingly glided through the wall, coming to a halt in the middle of the room. It turned it's glimmering head to look directly at Younger Remus, before the voice of Arthur Weasley announced:

"Reporting on the hour as you suggested, Remus, there's no sign of Snape, or anyone for that matter, all is well and quiet."

As the patronus dispersed into the surrounding air, much to the surprise of Tonks' parents, Younger Remus reached into his pocket for his wand so that he could send a reply.

"Well, we sort of already did." Younger Tonks told her parents, positively beaming.

"No we didn't." Younger Remus said immediately, but she ignored him.

"Remus is the leader now." The Auror went on, nodding as if to confirm this fact.

"Really?" Andromeda sounded impressed, no doubt this was what her daughter had intended, Teddy mused with a grin.

"Not really, the Order doesn't really have a leader anymore..." Younger Remus explained, shooting Younger Tonks a meaningful look which she once again ignored.

"Well not officially, no, but Remus organises us. Like Dumbledore used to organise us. So effectively he _is _the leader."

Ted lifted his teacup as if to toast his guest, smiling.

"Well then, good luck with that, Remus, you've got some big boots to fill."

Younger Remus appeared to be going rather red as he replied:

"Thank you, Mr Tonks, I doubt I can be even a shadow of what Dumbledore was for the Order, but I'll do my very best."

Teddy watched them lapse into silence, sipping their tea in contemplation of the somewhat dismal future before Andromeda broke the silence.

"Well then, what's the occasion then, Nymphadora? Last time it was your father's birthday and before that our anniversary." It was a complaint, yet her tone was light as if she did not truly hold her daughter's absence against her.

Younger Tonks' gaze drifted to her lap and she drew in a deep breath before announcing:

"I...no _we_...Remus and I...have something important to tell you."

There was a long, expectant silence as she struggled to form her next sentence, glancing at her fiancé who offered her a small, somewhat sad smile as if it both pained and elated him to see what she was doing. Teddy found himself willing her on and felt excited as she reached to grasp hold of Younger Remus' hand.

"We're getting married." she told her parents boldly, looking up at her mother, expression defiant.

There came another long silence and Teddy watched the shock register on his grandparents' faces, had the situation not been so serious the boy might have laughed at them for their eyes were so wide, mouths dropped open so far, that the overall effect was somewhat comic.

"_Married_?!" Andromeda exploded at last, hands gripping the arms of her chair in her alarm. "You can't possibly get _married_! This is far too sudden, you've never brought him here before, we hardly even know him, and what we _do_ know about him...no, absolutely not! I won't hear of it, it's the most foolish, absurd..."

"Quiet, 'Dromeda," Ted interrupted softly, though it was perfectly loud enough to halt his wife's outburst. Tonks' father was leant back in his chair, staring at Younger Remus with a deeply thoughtful expression upon his face. "Give them a chance to explain..."

"Explain? What is there to explain?! He's a werewolf, Ted!" Andromeda hissed, and Younger Tonks' hair darkened to red.

"Mum!" she scolded, only for Younger Remus to give her hand a firm squeeze in warning. The fire left her voice as she said: "I don't care if he's a werewolf, Mum, I love him."

Andromeda scowled and was about to reply when Ted, voice still soft and calm, asked:

"And does he love you?"

All eyes in the room turned to look at Younger Remus and he continued to grip Younger Tonks' hand as he told her father:

"There never has been, and never will be anybody whom I love more than your daughter, Mr Tonks, I can assure you of that."

Younger Tonks positively beamed at him, and her father smiled too, yet he was quick to sigh heavily and shake his head.

"Well, 'Drom, what's to be done? If they love one another nothing you or I can say will stop them." he said, and Teddy was surprised that he had given in so easily. "I can't say I am pleased though, Dora, your mother's right, a werewolf..."

"He's Sirius' age too!" Andromeda interjected, though she sounded as though she were on the verge of tears rather than angry. Teddy was sure that she too had come to the conclusion that there was no stopping her daughter when there was love concerned. It made sense, the boy supposed, for Andromeda Tonks had defied her own parents for love too. "She never listens to me! Talk some sense into her, for goodness sake Ted!"

In response Ted rose to his feet and, looking at his wife and daughter in turn, told them:

"No fighting or cursing whilst I'm gone, you hear? Remus, kitchen please."

Younger Remus got to his feet and followed the other wizard towards the door, glancing back at the two witches nervously as if he feared leaving them alone in a room together. Mother and daughter sat staring at one another, a silent battle of wills. Teddy left them, feeling slightly worried himself, and followed his parents into the kitchen.

"Take a seat." Ted was saying and he and Younger Remus sat down at the immaculate kitchen table. They were silent as again Ted regarded Younger Remus thoughtfully.

"Not her usual, I'll give you that." he said at last, and Younger Remus smiled somewhat nervously as if he was not sure if this were a compliment or not. "How long have you known Dora, then?"

"It's been about two years or so, we met when she first joined the Order, Mr Tonks."

"Right. And how long have you been...together as it were?"

Younger Remus seemed to struggle with this question somewhat and he frowned as he considered it.

"Well...since Sirius died...on and off..."

"On and off?"

Younger Remus winced at this and Teddy drew in a sharp breath.

"Yes...your daughter is a very persistent lady when she puts her mind to it. I...I did share your own misgivings at first, you see, but she has made me see sense, Mr Tonks."

"I see. And what makes you think that I will give my consent to you marrying my Dora?"

"Nothing much, Mr Tonks, but as I told Dora, I wouldn't dream of marrying her without at least speaking to you first. There's not much I can say except I really do love her, I have the highest respect for her and I'd do anything and everything to make her happy, even if it were only for a second."

There was yet another silence as Ted thought about this, then he said:

"You're a decent man, I've no doubt about that. But..." he trailed off and sighed, scratching his head in frustration.

"Your daughter is a remarkable witch, Mr Tonks." Younger Remus told him, sitting a little straighter in his chair. "She truly is a very fine Auror, she is doing some very valuable work in this War and you should be very proud of her. The ease with which she accepts the flaws of others is really quite admirable. If you worry that my condition may ever cause her distress you may well have underestimated the strength of your daughter's resolve."

"That doesn't stop it being dangerous."

"No, that is very true, but if I were ever to hurt her it would completely destroy me, I can't bear the very thought of it. I will always be careful, more than careful, I'll treat every full moon as if it were the first and not become complacent. I will never assume that she is safe, I'll lock myself away and trap myself with enough wards that Voldemort himself could not possibly escape."

Quite slowly a wide smile spread across Ted's face and Teddy found himself smiling too.

"I trust you." he decided. "And I have always trusted Dora. If she thinks you're the one to make her happy then the pair of you have my blessing."

And with that the two wizards shook hands.

"Thank you, Mr Tonks."

"I think you better be calling me Ted now." Ted decided and he got up and lead the way back towards the living room. "Don't mind the missus, she'll come round soon enough. She might seem furious but she knows the strength of love." They entered the other room to find both Younger Tonks and Andromeda staring at them questioningly. "Well then," Ted said, beaming at his daughter. "Have the pair of you set a date yet?"

Teddy grinned as Younger Tonks launched herself from her seat and threw her arms around her father with a small shriek of happiness. Andromeda let out a small sigh, yet Teddy found that she too was smiling.


	31. A Covert Operation

_Note: It is unclear to me as to whether or not Santa Claus has a place in Wizarding Christmas tradition, but for the sake of this chapter (with Remus' comment about the North Pole) I shall assume that he does, or that they are at least aware of the whole Santa thing that muggles tell their children about. So if I am wrong....*plays the artistic license card!*_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Ms. Rowling does._

**31: A Covert Operation**

The next memory shifted into view and Teddy found himself stood in the hallway of his grandparents house once more. Younger Remus was busy pulling off his cloak as the Tonkses greeted him, their tones surprisingly fond.

"You bet not let her see you," Ted was saying, his tone hushed. "She'll go mental."

"Oh I know, it's okay, it was you I needed to speak to, actually..." Younger Remus began, only to stop dead at the sound of a familiar voice happily singing as loud as could be at the top of the stairs.

"_Oh I'm getting married in the morning_!"

As the deadly serious expression upon Younger Remus' face softened to a mixture of joy and amusement, Ted let out a soft chuckle.

"She's been singing and humming that one all day." he informed his son-in-law-to-be. "It would get on my nerves if I didn't know just how happy she was – she only knows the first line, you see..."

"Well that's okay, the first one's the only important one anyway!" Teddy heard Younger Tonks announce as she skipped – rather foolishly, the boy thought, knowing her clumsy tenancies – down the stairs, only to come to a sudden halt when she discovered that her parents had a visitor. She looked as if she had been struck by a stunning spell.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?! She shrieked, hair flashing scarlet.

Her finance visibly flinched.

"You're not supposed to be here! You can't see me until tomorrow! It's the rules!"

"What do you honestly care about "rules", Dora?" the werewolf laughed, Teddy wasn't sure this was a good move. "You were the one who suggested we _elope_!"

"She what?!" Andromeda cried, rounding on her daughter with a piercing stare.

"Now, 'Drom..." Ted began reasonably, only for Younger Tonks to drown him out.

"Remus you prat!" she scolded. "Look, this better be important! If _Voldemort himself_ hasn't taken over the Ministry and _cancelled Christmas_, I swear you'll have to be carried up the aisle on a bloody _stretcher_!"

At this threat, Teddy burst out laughing and behind him his parents both grinned. Quite suddenly Teddy didn't feel so bad about the argument that he had overheard and been so upset about the day his mother had stormed into Hogwarts castle looking for his father. It seemed that Tonks had been threatening her husband with all manner of painful curses on a regular basis for years, and she was not in the least bit serious about it, either. Her wand remained in it's position poking out of the pocket of her jeans.

Younger Remus accepted his supposed doom with good humour, for he smiled.

"I'm glad to say Christmas is still on, love, but before you choose to hex me to the North Pole and back, I had no intention of seeing you, just your parents." Teddy watched his face turn suddenly grim. "It couldn't wait, I'm afraid, Arthur was at the Ministry, he overheard some of the Law Enforcement lot talking. They're tightening their grip on werewolves, Dora, if they suspect we are connected they'll come asking questions. They're already suspicious, they'll wonder why you're not at work, they'll find out about the wedding." He offered Ted and Andromeda an apologetic look as he explained: "And if Dora isn't at her flat they might just try..."

There was a loud knock at the door.

"Oh Merlin..." Younger Tonks breathed as Younger Remus froze, eyes wide. "So soon?"

"Ministry of Magic, open up!"

"It would appear so." Younger Remus whispered. And at the sound of the door being hammered upon once again, he bolted up the stairs. Teddy and his parents raced after him. They watched Younger Remus pull Younger Tonks out of sight from the hallways just as Andromeda opened the door.

"I need to disappear for a while." Younger Remus practically mouthed, and Younger Tonks gripped hold of his arms in alarm.

"You can't, we're supposed to be getting married tomorrow!"

"The Ministry are watching you, Dora, you'll loose your job, and the Order needs you there..."

"I don't give a toss what the Ministry are doing, they aren't stopping this wedding, nothing is!"

Voices drifted up from the hallway.

"So you haven't seen him?" a male voice asked.

"Seen him?" Andromeda repeated irritably. "Well of course I haven't, I don't even _know_ the man!"

"I see. And your daughter, Mrs Tonks, is she here? Our records indicate that she is not at work today and there was no answer at her home."

"Ah, yes." Andromeda's voice rose meaningfully. "She's in bed, I'm afraid, rather poorly..."

Immediately Younger Tonks hurriedly crept into the nearest bedroom, pulling Younger Remus after her. They carefully shut the door, she climbed into bed and he reached to open the window.

"You'll be there, won't you?" she called to him as he drew his wand and carefully enlarge the window opening.

"Of course," he assured her, glancing over to see her break out in perfectly hideous bulbous spots. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" And with that, as footsteps sounded on the stairs, he hauled himself out of the window, plummeting towards some thankfully thick bushes below. Younger Tonks had barely the time to shrink the window back to it's usual size before the bedroom door opened and Andromeda entered with the Ministry wizard. He was a broad shouldered, clumsy looking man with a bald head and small, slit-like eyes.

"Nymphadora, somebody from the Ministry's here to see you." Andromeda informed her daughter unnecessarily, and Younger Tonks stared at him through barely opened, puffy eyes.

"Bugger," the younger witch wheezed, Teddy was impressed by her acting skills. "I...I forgot to owl and say I wasn't in...sorry..."

"No, he says it's about werewolves." Andromeda explained, raising one carefully sculpted eyebrow.

As Younger Tonks continued to stare blankly at him, the Ministry wizard took a few steps into the room, looking reluctant to come any closer when he saw the state of Younger Tonks' face.

"Werewolves?"

"That's right, Miss Tonks. The Ministry has compiled a list of known werewolves who have failed to sign the Werewolf Register and we are currently searching for them."

"Why?" Younger Tonks asked innocently, and the Ministry Wizard looked pityingly at her naivety.

"Well it is vital that we find them, Miss Tonks, as you well know You-Know-Who has returned and we have no doubt that these Dark Creatures will flock to join him."

"Really?! Merlin, we can't have that," Younger Tonks exclaimed weakly, and Teddy heard his father let out a small groan.

"Good thing he hasn't realised you worked for the Auror Department," Older Remus said, causing his wife to glare at him. "Because he'd know no Auror could _honestly_ be that _dim_..."

"I was trying!" Older Tonks protested indigently, folding her arms moodily across her chest. "It was difficult, I was just thinking _Merlin, what a complete and utter idiot_..."

"Hardly, Tonks, the Ministry weren't wrong, what do you think Greyback was trying to persuade the others to do?"

Older Tonks opened her mouth to reply, only to pause, a grin spreading across her face.

"You've not called me Tonks since Teddy was tiny!" she observed, and he grinned back at her as if this were something to celebrate.

"I wonder, Miss Tonks," the Ministry wizard was saying, looking rather revolted as one of the boils upon the actress' chin appeared to pop, sending globules of rank-looking yellow puss flying over the bedsheets, "if you might be able to help with our search. We have reason to believe that you are familiar with somebody on our list, one Remus Lupin...?"

"Lupin?" Younger Tonks considered slowly, pursing her lips together in thought. "No, can't say I know a Lupin..."

"Is that so?" the wizard asked disbelievingly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a rather crumpled piece of parchment. "Well that is strange, _very_ strange indeed..."

Younger Tonks said nothing. Teddy found himself holding his breath. The Ministry wizard smoothed out the parchment, reading the notes scrawled upon it.

"...because intelligence tells us that you were seen together by several people in Hogsmeade village on the 1st June. You were standing outside of the Hog's Head Inn at around midday, speaking for around ten minutes before, it says here, he apparated away and you headed back onto the main road, walking in the direction of Hogwarts School."

In the doorway Andromeda's gaze dropped worriedly to her feet, but Younger Tonks' expression was one of mild surprise.

"Well that's a bugger," she said, sounding vaguely irritated. "If I'd known exactly who he was I'd have arrested him rather than just sent him on his way."

"Arrested him...?" the wizard repeated, confused.

"Well yeah, of course. I'm an Auror, aren't I? At least I was last time I checked..."

"_Ah_, yes...yes of course."

"It's okay," Younger Tonks assured him pleasantly, another spot beginning to bloom where the previous one had once lurked. "I'm the youngest, y'know? Everybody forgets me, don't worry about it."

"You're right," Older Remus muttered from one corner of the room. "He really _is_ an idiot. Merlin, to think they'd send him over to question you without doing any sort of background check at all."

"It was easy eluding them when they send round morons like this one." Older Tonks explained to Teddy. "But some of them were seriously pushy. I swear sometimes I could hear Mad-Eye yelling instructions in my ear, like I was back doing Auror training. I passed with pretty good marks on the Interrogation exams, but there was no denying anything after a while, they just _knew_, so I had to leg it too."

"So, you haven't seen Lupin since that day in Hogsmeade?"

Teddy turned to see Younger Tonks was making yet another show of appearing thoughtful.

"Well...I can't say I remember seeing him again. He's pretty unremarkable to look at, you'd never pick him out in a crowd."

"I see. And when you spoke to him in Hogsmeade, what did you talk about?"

"The usual sort of thing. I hadn't seen him around before so I went and asked him if he lived in the area. He said no, he was visiting, so I explained about the curfew that was in place and asked him what he planned on doing whilst in the village. He said he'd been in the Hog's Head or something...can't quite remember where, and he was just about to leave anyway, so I sent him on his way."

"Did he seem interested in the measures the Ministry had in place?"

"Not particularly, no."

"I see." The wizard let out a small sigh. "Well, I won't keep you any longer, Miss Tonks, I see you aren't much up for visitors. Thank you for your time."

And with that the man turned to leave and the scene dissolved yet again.

A small clearing in a grove of oak trees, the sun shining through a layer of cloud casting patterns upon the floor. Dotted around the edges of the clearing, Teddy could see a number of familiar figures stood keeping a watch over the surrounding area. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody, Bill Weasley and Hestia Jones were all silent and still, yet in the centre of the clearing the remaining assembled Order members were in a state of noisy disarray.

"You can't put that there!" Molly Weasley cried as Hagrid lowered a long bench into place before an archway of flowers blossoming in every colour of the rainbow. "There's not enough room for the rest of the flowers!"

"Remus says we ought not have too many decorations, Molly dear," Arthur Weasley reasoned as he and his son Charlie lowered a second bench into place. "This is supposed to be a quiet ceremony, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves..."

"It's only a few flowers!" Mrs. Weasley complained. "You can't have a wedding without flowers!"

"We _have_ got flowers, Mum." Charlie reminded her, but she scowled and drew her wand to add some more for good measure.

"We had fireworks at our wedding." Mr. Weasley recalled happily, only for a sharp voice to snap:

"Did somebody say _fireworks_?!" Mad-Eye Moody turned abruptly to face the busy Order members, magical eye rolling up into the back of his head as he continued to watch the trees behind him. "Do you all have a death wish?! This is supposed to be a _covert_ operation..."

"_Covert operation_?! For goodness sake Alastor, we're talking about a _wedding_ here!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "But of course we won't have fireworks! Bit of confetti, perhaps..."

"No confetti!" a voice from behind her said firmly, and Teddy heard Charlie audibly groan as she rounded on the speaker, more horrified than ever.

"How can _you_ say that?! For the love of Merlin, Remus, you only get to do this once, you know! It's supposed to be perfect!"

"It will be perfect." Younger Remus replied confidently from his position stood watching the chaos. "It's okay, Charlie, Bill and I have a plan. Do you want a hand, Arthur?"

"No! Don't move!" Mrs. Weasley cried, pointing a finger at him threateningly. "You're not to lift a finger, this is your day just as much as Tonks'! Besides, you might get your robes dirty and ruin the photographs. I told Kingsley white was a bad colour..."

"Oh Molly do stop fussing!" her husband told her, offering the groom a bright smile. "He looks absolutely grand!"

"He certainly does!" Hestia Jones agreed, glancing over her shoulder to smile at Younger Remus too. The remaining guards nodded and called their agreement.

Teddy took a few steps forward to take a closer look at his father's younger self stood dressed in a set of borrowed pristine white dress robes and couldn't help but smile. There was no doubt about it, the boy thought happily, Kingsley Shacklebolt had style.

Teddy watched with a smile as a long white carpet trimmed with gold was rolled out down the middle of the clearing to create a makeshift aisle, a few magical fairy lights were carefully draped across the surrounding trees, before Moody pulled a pocket watch from his pocket with one gnarled hand and, peering at it, announced that the bride would be arriving at any moment now. The Order jumped into action, some took their seats upon the two benches, others began to cast a few final protective spells over the clearing and Bill and Charlie...

"What are they doing?" Teddy asked, bemused as the two brothers hurried over to one edge of the clearing to retrieve a pair of broomsticks before turning to have a hushed conversation with Younger Remus. When his parents merely smiled, the boy hurried over to catch what they were saying.

"Fred says he and George have tested it out and it should work well enough. It's diluted enough to make the air darken, like a cloud, but not dark enough to draw attention to itself." Charlie was whispering. "And released at speed it'll spread right over the top of the trees. It's perfectly safe..."

"They're here!" Moody called from the other side of the clearing. Bill and Charlie mounted their brooms and, with one last _good luck_ to Younger Remus, they kicked off from the ground and disappeared up into the air.

Teddy returned to his parents and watched as his grandmother arrived to take a seat beside Mrs. Weasley and a wizard with a shock of white hair and a thin, drooping moustache who Teddy did not recognise stood just behind the archway, waiting. Teddy watched his father and Mr. Weasley hurry to position themselves too and then soft music seemed to sound from the trees themselves. The bride appeared from between the trees and was led up the aisle by her beaming father.

"To think you wanted to have the Weird Sisters..." Older Remus muttered disbelievingly. Older Tonks elbowed him in the ribs.

On her wedding day Tonks' hair was her favourite shade of pink, she wore a simple white dress and a silver necklace of delicate flowers, she did not trip on her way to the alter and she did not stop smiling. Not even when speaking her vows. When the shower of silver sparks rained down upon the couple's intertwined fingers and the old wizard with the moustache announced that they were now husband and wife, those watching cheered and clapped enthusiastically. As Younger Remus kissed his bride the sky above seemed to darken momentarily before there came the sound of a loud explosion and the air erupted into a shower of pink and silver fireworks.

"Diluted Instant Darkness Powder," Older Remus announced proudly as the newly-weds and their guests looked up to admire the display. "Blocked the whole thing completely from view!"

The sight appeared to be too much for Older Tonks to simply stand and watch. She let out a small squeal of delight and threw her arms around her husband.

"Not bad, as covert operations go," she breathed, before leaning to kiss him.

Teddy didn't bother to shut his eyes.


	32. Puppet Show

_Note: So we are at last nearing the end of this story, so if anybody has any last requests speak now or forever hold your peace! I hope everybody is enjoying it. Thanks again for those of you who left me reviews._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. J K Rowling owns it all. _

**32: Puppet Show**

Teddy watched countless memories flashing past him, the first month of his parents' marriage passed in a rush of danger and elation, only for the boy to find himself trailing his father's younger self up a familiar street for a second time. Remus' reaction to Tonks' announcement that she was pregnant still stung Teddy's ears, but he could understand the panic, the fear, he turned his back on the scene and gave his father a firm hug.

After that memory things seemed to return to normal. Teddy watched his parents' younger selves go about Order business, attend meetings and attempt to be a couple in the moments in between. But it wasn't quite the same, the boy began to observe worriedly. There was something wrong, something cool and mechanical about the atmosphere. There was no warmth, no love, not really.

It was a puppet show and Teddy could see the strings.

He saw gaps. Lots of gaps. Between them when they sat down at meetings, at night as they lay in bed, as they walked home together after a day of spying upon the enemy. Teddy did not see an embrace, a kiss, nor an affectionate hand upon a shoulder for comfort in troubling times. Under the table at the Burrow, as Mad-Eye Moody droned on about Voldemort's whereabouts, Younger Tonks slowly reached to take hold of her husband's hand. Younger Remus reached for his mug of tea.

They spoke of others – of Harry, of the Weasleys, of her parents' increasing doubts about their daughter's marriage as if it were a different daughter, not Tonks herself. But they did not talk about themselves. They did not talk about the baby, about each other.

"I need to tell you something." Younger Tonks had announced suddenly as Teddy watched her slump down into an armchair, Younger Remus silently fetching a stool for her aching feet. "I love you."

Younger Remus had shot her a fleeting smile and offered:

"I'll get you a pillow from upstairs, shall I?" before disappearing out the door.

"Yeah...thanks sweetheart..." came the despondent reply.

The days grew darker, despite the sunshine. Teddy watched Younger Tonks grow steadily rounder and as she did so her husband became ever more distant. Until one afternoon after yet another Order meeting, she was pushed over the edge. Teddy watched them leave the Burrow and make their way through drizzling rain up the muddy track towards the apparation point. Younger Tonks trailed behind Younger Remus, shivering in the damp.

"Molly's getting ever so excited!" she told him as she struggled to keep up with his long strides. "She reckons the baby'll be a big one, 'cos I'm getting big so fast, y'know? Molly said it was like that with Ron and he was really heavy when he was born. She asked if we wanted a boy or a girl, I said I wasn't sure..."

Younger Remus said nothing, but she stubbornly carried on regardless.

"Arthur says they might still have a thing or two left in the attic, unless the ghoul's been at them, in case we need anything. Like there's a crib and...and stuff..." At last she trailed off into a hopeful silence, waiting for a response. There was nothing more than a small grunt of acknowledgement.

Younger Tonks stopped dead.

"Remus?" she tested, desperation seemingly clogging her throat, warping her voice. Younger Remus merely kept on walking.

Teddy watched the colour drain from her hair until it was a despairing grey, her expression broken.

"For the love of Merlin, Remus!" she cried, tears welling up in her dark, grief-stricken eyes. "Look at me! Please! Just look at me!"

When he stopped and turned to stare at her, Teddy saw that Younger Remus' expression was equally as bleak. He took a few cautious steps towards her before telling her:

"I'm looking. What's wrong?"

"That's exactly what's wrong!" came the wailed reply. "Yes, you're looking, but you don't s_ee_! You don't _see_ me, Remus, you just _look_!"

"Tonks..."

"And you don't want me any more! You _don't want me_, you don't even bloody _touch_ me! It's like...like you can't bear being near me or something...I...I try so hard to...to be right for you, I pretend not to notice it all but it's so difficult! I can't do it any more, Remus, I can't do _this_! You're so bloody distant! I can't stand it, I want to _talk_ to you! Properly talk to you, like before! I want you to _touch_ me, just hold my hand, hold _me_! Kiss me! Smile, _really_ smile at me! _**Love me**_, Remus, for Merlin's sake because I'm going to loose the will to live, I'll go mad, I'll...I'll..." and with that she fell to her knees and sobbed.

Teddy felt as though something sharp had been impaled deep into his heart, only to feel slight relief as Younger Remus' stoic mask shattered and he dashed forward to gather Younger Tonks up in his arms, murmuring soft reassurances under his breath and pressing light kisses to her head in a desperate bid to soothe her.

"Merlin, I hate to hurt you, darling," Teddy heard him sigh as he pulled her to her feet. "Nothing is so painful to me, but...it's difficult..."

"You don't want me?"

"No, no, I do! Of course I do, I love you so, _so_ much..."

She went suddenly limp in his arms and her face contorted in what seemed to Teddy to be yet more despair.

"The baby..." she whimpered, causing him to tighten his hold on her.

"I'm trying, Dora, I swear I'm..."

"No, Remus, I mean...the baby...something's...oh Merlin..."

It seemed to Teddy that had Younger Remus not been holding her so tightly, Younger Tonks would fall to the ground.

"What's wrong?"

"Something's not right with the baby!"

"Does it hurt?"

"Yes, I...oh god, what if it's coming early?!" Teddy watched her bury her face in Younger Remus' shoulder, fingers digging into his arms as she let out a groan of pain.

"I'm sure it won't," he assured her, voice the embodiment of calm as he held her steady. "Don't panic, I'm sure it will be fine, you've just gotten a bit worked up. Here, I'll take you back to Molly's..."

As Younger Remus sent his patronus streaking back towards the house, Younger Tonks struggled to remain calm.

"Oh Merlin, I'm gonna loose him...I'm gonna loose him..."

"Shh, stay calm love! How'd you know it's a he? It might be a girl."

"I dunno, it's just I dunno what I'd call a girl."

"What shall we call a boy, then?"

Teddy smiled at this distracting question. As they set off slowly towards the Burrow, Younger Tonks attempting to convince her husband that Remus Junior would not be confusing, the scene dissolved once again.

It seemed that the crisis appeared to be over as Teddy found himself in his parents' bedroom, Younger Tonks was tucked up in bed asleep.

"She'll be fine come the morning." came the hushed voice of Hestia Jones from the landing.

"And the baby?" came Younger Remus' voice.

"Seems absolutely fine. I'm not sure what was going on, but it seems to have fixed itself."

"The same used to happen to me when I was expecting Nymphadora," Teddy heard his grandmother remark. "That's when the healers discovered she was a metamorphmagus. Morphing in the womb, they said, can't be controlled, but it's not dangerous. Just painful."

"What, you mean this baby's gonna be one to?!" Hestia asked excitedly.

"I wouldn't be surprised, since Dora's one." Younger Remus considered. As Teddy stepped out of the bedroom to look at the group clustered outside, he saw that Hestia was staring at the werewolf thoughtfully.

"What?" Younger Remus asked after a long pause, causing her to shrug.

"I was trying to imagine you with pink hair." Hestia explained, squinting. Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"We'll leave you to it." she decided, immediately turning to head down the stairs. "Come along, Hestia."

"Is she in a hurry?" Teddy asked as Andromeda left without any real goodbye to her son-in-law.

"Probably," Older Remus admitted. "Your grandparents' acceptance of our marriage was rather short-lived. Once it dawned on them exactly how difficult I was making things for their daughter by simply _existing_ they couldn't stand me."

"So they were happy when you left?"

"No." Older Tonks interjected from the doorway. "They were furious, actually. They couldn't stand us together because it made me an outcast and they couldn't stand us apart because I'd sit and mope in my bedroom all day and make _myself_ an outcast. As far as they were concerned the situation was hopeless."

"And it was all my fault." Older Remus recalled, smiling faintly.

"Right, I'll be off then!" Hestia announced brightly as Younger Remus stared somewhat despairingly at Andromeda's swiftly retreating back. "D'you want me to ask around and get you cover for the morning? I reckon Mad-Eye could manage it. Give you a few hours to make sure Tonks is up and about again."

"No, don't worry about it Hestia," Younger Remus told her with a small smile of thanks, ignoring the distinct grunt of disapproval from Andromeda as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'll be there, Tonks won't want me fussing, the Order's stretched thinly enough as it is."

"You're sure?"

"Very."

"Okay then, I'll see you later! Goodnight Remus."

"Goonight Hestia, thanks for your help."

Teddy watched the two witches leave and once they were gone Teddy saw Younger Remus head into the bedroom and collapse down atop the duvet next to Younger Tonks with a huge sigh of relief. He glanced at the photographs stood in frames upon his bedside table.

"I should have known this was all a terrible idea," he muttered to the beaming faces of newly-weds James and Lily Potter as they stood between the equally cheery figures of Sirius Black and Remus himself. "I should have seen how you and Harry wound up and taken the hint. Having a baby in the middle of a bloody _war_, for Merlin's sake... or having a baby _at all..._don't look at me like that, Padfoot, it wasn't my idea..."

Beside him Younger Tonks stirred, shifting closer to him. Teddy saw one eye flicker open and she reached for Younger Remus' hand.

"Sirius would've been dead pleased for us." she murmured, voice slightly hoarse from sleep. "And if he heard you complaining like that he'd have knocked the stuffing out of you and told you to get a grip."

"I don't know," he mused, thumb stroking her hand absent-mindedly. "I reckon if we'd told him I'd gotten you pregnant he'd have hexed me into oblivion for ruining his favourite little cousin's life."

"No he wouldn't." she insisted firmly. "He'd have never done that, not to you, you were his best mate, he thought we were good together. He knew we were good together." She moved their hands, settling them upon her stomach with a sleepy smile.

"I need you to do something for me tomorrow." he told her as she closed her eyes to go back to sleep.

"Mm?"

"I need you to go to your parents' house and stay there."

"Why?"

There was a pause. Younger Remus reached with him free hand to wipe something from his eye before clearing his throat meaningfully.

"Because I've Order work to do tomorrow and I don't want you being on your own."

"'Kay love." Younger Tonks was almost asleep.

"I love you, Dora." he told her, but she appeared not to hear him. His gaze came to rest upon their entwined fingers and he swallowed hard. After a long minute he shifted on the bed until his cheek was pressed to the gentle swell of her stomach. "Listen," he whispered to the baby, and behind him said baby stood and did just that. "You listen to your father, because this is very important. If...if you're...like me, if you're one too...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I've done that to you, I'm so, _so_ sorry. And I'm sorry you have me for a father, I'd never wish that on anybody, least of all you. But you've got a wonderful mother, and great grandparents, they'll look after you. I'll leave you well alone, I promise, then...then maybe Dora can find you a better father than me. But I'll still love you, I'll still be proud of you, I know you'll be great, you'll be like your mother and she's perfect. I want you to look after each other for me, okay? Make her smile, she's beautiful when she smiles. Be good for her."

And with that he pressed a gentle kiss to the bump, straightened up, gently pulled his hand free of Younger Tonks' grasp, and slipped out of the room, leaving a damp patch of tears upon her pyjamas and a note in the kitchen that Teddy would go on to discover torn and scrunched up in the woods.


	33. Silver Plea

_Note: It has been ages and ages since I last updated. I have discovered something new and wonderful today. It's called Free Time! So here at last is an update for you! It is short, sorry about that, but there will be more soon!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**33: Silver Plea**

Teddy watched Younger Remus visit Harry, Ron and Hermione at Grimmauld Place and, upon hearing Harry's reaction to the werewolf's actions, felt a sense of dread creeping up over him. It was a good question: What would the new regime have done to a baby such as him? There was little time to muse upon an answer, however, for before he knew it an audible gasp had escaped his lips as a fuming Younger Remus had sent Harry crashing into a wall with one furious flick of his wand and turned to storm out into the hallway and out of the front door. As the memory dissolved into a new one and Teddy and his parents found themselves practically running to keep up with Younger Remus' stumbling rush through a familiar looking wood, it became apparent that Teddy had not been the only one never to hear of the incident at Grimmauld Place.

"You hexed Harry Potter?!" Older Tonks cried, attempting to shoot her husband a mortified look but failing as he did not so much as glance at her. "_You_ hexed Harry?! _You_....?!"

Older Remus said nothing.

"The poor boy was up against Voldemort, Death Eaters and half the bloody wizarding population! The list of people he could trust could probably be scribbled on the back of a Chocolate Frog card! He'd got not parents, his godfather was dead, and you, who was probably right up near the top of that list of his...hexed him?!"

Again Older Remus said nothing, but as they came to an abrupt halt in a clearing, his expression was distinctly ashamed.

Teddy took a look around the clearing only to discover that he was stood in the very same clearing in which his parents had secretly gotten married. Without the fairy lights and pretty blooming flowers the area was dark, gloomy, dismal. Younger Remus sunk to the ground, resting his back against a tree, and stared upwards towards the sky, his breathing heavy from his anger. Silence fell over the clearing, broken only by his breathing that slowly became calmer, then muffled as he buried his face in his hands with a sigh.

"What you thinking?" Teddy asked, and his father shifted his feet uncomfortably.

"I was thinking that even if Harry had a point about you needing my protection, you'd have plenty, far less dangerous guardians to look out for you." he gave a sigh as he admitted: "But of course one parent is worth a hundred Order members. I knew that, deep down. Dumbledore surrounded Harry with people from the Order, but I can assure you that had James and Lily been there to watch over him he'd have felt more safe and more strong by far."

It was then that the gloomy silence was suddenly disturbed by a faint whooshing sound and Younger Remus sat bolt upright, hand fumbling in the pocket of his robes for his wand. For a moment, as Teddy cast his eyes over the surrounding woods, it seemed that there was nothing there. But then Younger Remus hastily got to his feet, wand raised at the sight of a bright silvery light that was streaking through the trees towards him. Only as it broke through the trees and entered the clearing did both the werewolf and the observers see that the thing was in fact a glimmering patronus. Younger Remus lowered his wand.

_Remus?_ The voice of Hestia Jones asked as the silvery creature came to an abrupt halt before the wizard. _Remus, what's going on? Molly sent me over to you with your cloak you left behind the other day, but Tonks said you weren't there. She wouldn't take the cloak, either, she said you weren't coming back or something. Merlin, she looks a mess, too! Where are you, Remus? What's happened? Are you coming to the meeting? I'm on my way there now..._

Younger Remus barely had time to mumble irritably under his breath before another bright light came zooming through the trees, followed by another, and another, and another...

_Remus? What's this nonsense Hestia's telling us? You haven't left Tonks on her own, have you?_

_I know what this is about. Remus dear, but really, you're being foolish and besides, Tonks needs you..._

_Pull yourself together, Lupin! People don't win wars by going it alone! We're far better off as a unit!_

_I can't think of a child any luckier than this one, to have a father like you..._

_Hestia says she's in a bad way. Really Remus, you can't just leave her like this. She's pregnant, for Merlin's sake..._

_Please, Remus. Please, just go home..._

"Silencio!"

The voices fell silent and Younger Remus froze, wand still raised, willing the silvery intruders to disperse into the air, but they remained there, hovering before him. With a frustrated shout, the werewolf drew back his arm and flung the wand at the patronuses. At last they began to fade away and Younger Remus slumped back down to the ground, his head once again in his hands. But then he heard yet another whooshing sound. He looked up to find yet another patronus approaching.

"For the love of Merlin!" he complained, scrambling upon all fours to retrieve his wand. "Why can't you all just leave me alone?!" His fumbling fingers at last came upon the wand and he snatched it up, taking aim...

Only to pause as the silver lynx patronus halted before him and the urgent voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt rang out around the clearing.

_They know about the baby, Remus. I don't know how, somebody must have snitched, but Tonks can't stay in that house. They'll be on their way now. I'm on my way, I'll contact the others, just get yourselves out of there. Now!_

Teddy hardly saw the panic register on Younger Remus' face before there came the crack of disapparation and he had disappeared.


	34. On the Landing

_Note: Thank you to everybody who is still reviewing this story after such a long time! It really does mean a lot to me. I think that there will be one, maybe two chapters more and then finally I will have finished. Any last requests, please let me know as soon as possible. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**35: On the Landing**

Teddy struggled to take in the scene around him as he broke into a flat out sprint to keep up with his father's younger self as they dashed down the street towards the house. From somewhere behind them Teddy heard the crack of apparation. Then he heard it again...and again...and again...

"The Order turned up fast, didn't they?" Teddy observed hopefully as he heard yet another crack.

"That's not the Order, Teddy." Older Remus informed him grimly, and Teddy felt panic assault his chest.

In his haste to get inside, Younger Remus blasted the front door right off it's hinges before bolting into the hallway.

"Dora?!?!?!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs, as if the almighty crashing of the door would not have alerted Younger Tonks to his presence. "Dora, where are you?!?!"

When there was no response from anywhere in the house he rushed to look in the living room and then the kitchen, finding both empty before he dashed up the stairs, across the landing and practically tumbled through the door to the master bedroom. He hastily pushed himself back up onto his feet, just in time to feel a hand collide painfully with his cheek. He looked back round to see Younger Tonks draw back her hand, ready for another go. He caught hold of her wrist just in time, only for her to pull her hand free again and cry:

"How could you?!"

And with that she collapsed against him, face buried in his robes.

"Thank Merlin, you're alright!" he breathed, throwing his arms around her in an attempt to keep her upright. "Now listen, I have to get you out of here..."

"Alright?!" Teddy watched her hands ball into fists as she visibly shook with rage. "You think I'm alright?! You bloody idiot!" With each word she choked out she drove a fist into his ribs, yet they were feeble, pathetic blows and he hardly seemed to register them.

"Dora, listen to me..." he pleaded, glancing over his shoulder worriedly, but she seemed not to hear him.

"Why'd you have to be so damn selfless?!" she was complaining, blows becoming even more halfhearted until her hands merely rested against his chest. "I thought we'd sorted things out! When I woke up and you weren't there...I...I...!"

"Dora...!"

"I didn't know what to do! I just sat here and..."

Desperate to silence her, he reached to cup her face in his hands and pressed a firm kiss to her lips.

"Listen, Dora," he said firmly, expression suddenly stern. "The Death Eaters know about the baby..._and_," he continued as her eyes widened in horror and she opened her mouth to interrupt him, "they're on their way here. I heard them apparating, they'll be surrounding the house any minute now."

There was a brief pause as he waited for this information to sink in, before Younger Tonks' hands came to cover her mouth and she cried:

"You've got to be kidding me! I...I'm not even dressed!"

For the first time Teddy took a proper look at her and, true to her word, he found that she was wearing her pajamas and a fluffy pink dressing gown.

"Surrounded on all sides by Death Eaters determined to kill you, and you were worried about how you looked!" Older Remus muttered disbelievingly from the doorway, causing his wife to mumbled irritably under her breath.

And it was then that they heard voices outside in the street and both Younger Remus and Younger Tonks hurried to peer through a gap in the curtains. Teddy too hurried to squint through the tiny gap. There he saw three dark hooded figures, each walking in a different direction.

"That's one at the front, one on each side, there must be at least two more somewhere that I heard on my way in." Younger Remus observed as Younger Tonks snatched up her wand from the bedside table. "Kingsley is on his way and he said he'd alert the others...but I don't know how long they will be."

"Then we better just assume we're on our own." Younger Tonks told him, shrugging off the dressing gown and snatching up a dark cloak that had been abandoned upon the bed. Having been quite hysterical, Teddy observed, she had suddenly become alert and focused."We'll need to either make it out into the woods, or right up the end of the road if we're to apparate. I vote the woods, we'll have more cover..." she halted her sentence abruptly at the sound of heavy footsteps below them.

"They're moving fast," Younger Remus muttered darkly as they both hurried to the opposite wall by the door and instinctively flattened themselves against it.

"Yeah, I don't like our chances of making it downstairs alive." she whispered back. "Do you have a plan?"

Teddy waited to hear of some ingenious idea to get them out of this daunting situation, but Younger Remus said:  
"Well...I suppose I was thinking of fighting my way out."

Younger Tonks simply stared at him in bewilderment.

"You want to take on...how many did you say? Five? Six Death Eaters? On our own? When we have no idea how long it will take for the others to get here?!"

"Of course not!" the werewolf whispered back incredulously and for a brief moment she looked relieved before he revealed: "I want to take on five, maybe six Death Eater on my own. You're going to escape."

"What?!" she hissed, as the noise from downstairs seemed to increase, there came crashes and bangs.

"Your broom is in the cupboard under the stairs." Younger Remus explained hurriedly. "We get the broom, we retreat back up here, I'll hold them off at the stairs and, whilst they are distracted, you fly out of one of the windows. You'll be far away enough to apparate much faster that way."

"Oh yeah, great idea love, I'll just leave you to your death, shall I? Bloody noble prat..."

"I'll be fine. The Order can come and rescue me."

"That's a mental idea! If you insist on staying here we might as well both stay and wait for the others! We'll be safer with two!"

Younger Remus suddenly stepped away from the wall and began to creep out through the doorway and across the landing.

"In case you may have forgotten, Nymphadora," he practically mouthed to her over his shoulder, "you're pregnant. I'm getting you out of here. It's not up for discussion."

The battle at the stairs was quick, yet brutal. By the time the hallway had been cleared, two Death Eaters having retreated out of the front door, no doubt to gather others, the staircase looked distinctly unstable. Some steps had been blasted to splintered, whilst others had become uneven, fractured. Before Younger Tonks could say a word, Younger Remus had hastily picked his way down the battered structure, wrenched open the door to the cupboard under the stairs, and seized hold of Tonks' broomstick. There came shouts from outside and Teddy held his breath anxiously as Younger Remus retreated back up the stairs. He had barely rounded the corner to safety before three Death Eaters came swarming into the hallway, sending a rapid series of killing curses streaking up the stairway in the hope that they might catch the werewolf as he ran.

"Window," Younger Remus hissed to his wife as he thrust the broomstick into her free hand. "Now, Dora!"

"I'm not leaving you here..." she began, only to halt as yet another killing curse struck the wall behind them, missing her by mere inches.

"Kingsley's probably already outside!" he told her hurried as he thrust his wand around the corner, firing a blind curse back at the Death Eaters. "Now go!"

"But..."

"Do you want the baby to stay and keep me company, too?! Is that what you want?!"

"No..."

"Then for the love of Merlin, go! Protect our baby! Because right now I can defend the two of you all I like, but there are two of us and who knows how many of them! You can get out of here, you can go somewhere safe! So do it!"

For a brief moment, she stood, frozen, staring at him as he turned his attention back to the Death Eaters, her grip upon the broom somewhat limp. For a worried moment Teddy thought she might burst into tears. But then she said:

"D'you know what this reminds me of?"

But Younger Remus merely scowled as he risked peering around the corner to take a more precise aim at the dark figures down below.

"You really think this is a good time to..."

"The Potters." she told him flatly, as if he had not spoken.

"It's nothing bloody like it!" Younger Remus shouted, before bellowing his next spell and thrusting his wand forward so definitely that Teddy feared he would over balance himself and tumble down the stairs. "NOW GET OUT OF HERE!"

Tonks paused again, deliberating, before tightening her grip upon her wand and dropping the broom to the floor. She waited until Remus had sent a good few curses streaking down into the hall before dashing across the top of the stairs and flattening herself against the wall. From their positions now separated by the open stairway, husband and wife positively glared at one another.

"Don't look at me like that!" she demanded, before pausing to fire a hex down the stairs. "It is like the Potters, and I can't just leave you here whilst I do a runner because then they'll kill you!"

"They'll kill the pair of us...the three of us, if you don't go!"

"Then good! Rather the three of us than just you! We're not having a bloody repeat of what happened to Harry! Our kid is not gonna grow up without parents!"

"You'll still be there..."

"Yeah? And what kind of mother would I be on my own?! You saw me those times when you hadn't been there for me! What kind of bloody mother is that?! Might as well be another Harry!"

They paused in their argument to bombard the Death Eaters with spells, one had made a run for the staircase, only to be hit in the chest and thrown backwards into a wall, crumpling like a rag doll.

"Dora that's ridiculous!" Younger Remus protested, watching her aim another spell, and then another. "Besides, I'm not going to die! I'm not James, and that isn't Voldemort downstairs! Dora, please..." he sent another curse flying, heard the Death Eaters dive for cover before reaching across to grab Younger Tonks' arm, pulling her back over to his side, enveloping her in his arms. "Please go, Dora. Go now, go quickly! The Order will be here soon, I swear, I'll be fine! Don't risk our child for me. We have to look after him, he's what we're fighting for, after all."

It was strange, Teddy thought, and also quite scary, that for a moment the two of them seemingly forgot that they were in the middle of a furious battle with a group of dark wizard who outnumbered them and were intent on striking them dead. Younger Tonks looked up at him, eyes blurry with tears.

"Him?" she whispered, smiling despite herself. "You reckon it's a boy?"

Younger Remus shrugged.

"Well it's a fair guess, fifty fifty chance..." he began, only to suddenly grasp her shoulders and give her a firm push backwards towards the bedroom door. Teddy felt something inside him twist in panic at the sight of a Death Eater reaching the top of the stairs. Younger Tonks had barely snatched up the broom as Younger Remus pushed her further backwards, turning to plant himself firmly between his wife and the threat, he began to raise his wand...

And suddenly Teddy found his vision black as his father reached to tug him backwards a few steps and his mother clamped her hands over his eyes. But despite their efforts, Teddy clearly heard a triumphant voice screech:

"Crucio!"

_Bang_!

More thundering footsteps upon the stairs and...

"Stupefy!" Tonks' voice shouted, just as a new voice uttered another spell that made Teddy grab his father's arm, hugging it tightly.

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Protego," a weak voice uttered, and then there came a series of alarming crashes and thuds...

Silence.

Teddy let out a tiny sigh of relief at the knowledge that the chaos seemed to have ended, only to hear movement again and Younger Tonks' frantic:

"Remus?! Remus get up! Come on, we need to get out of here, get up!"

Teddy reached to tear the hands from his face, revealing the fight's aftermath in all it's startling glory. At his feet, the boy found a limp figure cloaked in black, out cold or perhaps even dead. Teddy took a cautious step forward, not yet daring to look straight ahead. Instead he glanced down the stairs, only to spot a second figure lying crumpled at the bottom, limbs twisted at unnatural, sickening angles. Teddy was quick to look away.

Over by the bedroom door, Teddy spied Younger Remus sprawled up against the wall, his head lolling forward as if he were dosing, eyes firmly closed. He let out a soft groan as Younger Tonks hastily examined him, searching for damage. A few steps closer and Teddy found that a significant patch of the werewolf's hair seemed to be stained red.

"I'm okay, Dora," Teddy heard him mumble somewhat thickly. "Don't fuss. It's hardly the first time I've been hit by that sort of curse..."

"Actually, love, I was rather more worried about the amount of blood that's leaking out of the back of your head..."

"It's nothing a bit of shampoo won't fix, now go on, get out! There are bound to be more of them."

"Remus Lupin!" Younger Tonks scolded, eyes widening in fury. "For the last bloody time, I'm not leaving you here on your own! Especially not now! So get that into your bloody thick head, okay?! Should be easier now there appears to be a bloody hole in the back of..." she halted abruptly at the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Despite his apparent daze, Younger Remus raised his wand.

"At least get inside the bedroom!" he hissed, lifting his head and shooting her swollen stomach a meaningful look. This was apparently a fair compromise, Teddy discovered, for she retreated around the bedroom door. Back out on the landing, Younger Remus' eyes were fixed upon the top of the stairs, his wand pointed, ready...

The footsteps in the hallway below grew closer, slow, cautious, they began to ascend the stairs...

The memory was beginning to blur, the scene seemed fuzzy around the edges and Teddy was quick to lean steadily against the wall as the landing swam before his eyes.

"What's going on?" Teddy asked, squinting to see Younger Remus blinking rapidly and gritting his teeth.

"I was trying not to pass out." Older Remus explained as the footsteps grew ever closer.

"Remus...?" Younger Tonks hissed from her hiding place in the bedroom. "Are you sure you're okay to be..."

"Shut up Dora!" Younger Remus snapped, sounding far less calm than he had done beforehand. Teddy was vaguely aware that he had never heard his father snap at his mother to shut up before now. "I'm fine!"

Teddy had to admit that this was the most blatant lie he had ever heard. The werewolf's vision was fast being reduced to a series of fuzzy looking shapes and as Teddy squinted through the haze he was sure that he could make out Younger Remus's wand arm wavering from side to side as if he could not quite decide what he was aiming at.

The footsteps were getting closer.

Don't pass out, Teddy silently pleaded, holding his breath. Please don't pass out...

It was at that moment that a dark shape loomed at the top of the stairs and Younger Remus' arm went rigid, pointing directly at the intruder...

"Stupefy!" Teddy heard him shout, only for a voice to cry:

"Protego!"

As Younger Tonks peered out at the scene, Younger Remus hastily tried again:  
"Stupefy!" Teddy watched the spell streak towards the shape, missing it by inches.

And then...

"Remus stop!"

Younger Tonks had flung open the bedroom door, Teddy watched her blurred shape rush out into the landing. "It's alright! It's only Kingsley!"

Younger Remus let out an audible sigh of relief, and suddenly Teddy found that everything seemed to be going black around the edges.

"The house is empty, you can get out," he heard Kingsley announce. "You better hurry, Tonks, there could be more outside..."  
The scene dissolved into blackness and Younger Tonks' reply was nothing more than a distant echo.


	35. Hearing It

_Note: Here we are at the final curtain..._

_I'd just like to say thank you very much to everybody who has read and reviewed this fic! I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. A sequel to this fic is already in the works. It is called **Without a Trace** and you can find the first few chapters up already. I will also be posting a one shot called **Anonymous**, which, for once, is not AU! Yes, it's shocking! If you get round to reading them, I hope you like them too. =)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does._

**35: Hearing It**

"I told you Daddy would be here! Didn't I tell you? Yes, I did! And he can see just how perfect you are, yes he can!"

Teddy Lupin simply stared at the scene before him.

This was weird, a voice somewhere in the back of his head observed. The boy considered taking a step forward to get a closer look at...himself, but his shock stopped this idea in it's tracks.

Teddy was stood in a familiar looking bedroom that did not seem any different from when, many years later, he had sat upon that very bed and read books whilst his grandmother pottered around in her kitchen downstairs. Younger Tonks was sat up in the bed, Younger Remus sat next to her, one foot upon the ground to stop himself falling from his narrow perch. They were both staring down at a squirming bundle of blankets nestled carefully in her arms.

"I also told Daddy that wandering off with Kingsley without telling me where he was going was a stupid idea." Younger Tonks was telling the baby meaningfully as she grinned down at him happily.

Teddy watched himself stare back at her with wide, mismatched eyes – one green and one brown. As Younger Tonks spoke the green shifted to blue.

"I told him to stick around in case you decided to make an appearance. Did he listen to Mummy? No, no he didn't!"

When Younger Remus made absolutely no response to her light jibe, she finally glanced up at him. "You could have missed everything!" she complained to her glass-eyed husband. "My Mum's gonna kill you, I completely flipped when she said she didn't know where you were."

"I got here in time." Younger Remus reminded her, his voice little more than a mumble.

"Barely! You said you'd be here the whole time, too, you promised..."

"I'm sorry."

"See, Mummy's right and Daddy's wrong. Again!" she teased, eyed back upon the baby whose eyes had drifted closed with a tiny sigh.

"Mummy's always right." Younger Remus told the baby softly, still staring at the little bundle.

"Actually Daddy was right this time." Younger Tonks told him, eyes on his face again, her face suddenly quite serious. At last he looked up to meet her gaze.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You were right. Remus Junior _would_ get confusing."

Younger Remus smiled and he leaned closer to the pair beside him.

"What are we going to call him, then?" he asked as Younger Tonks' head came to rest upon his shoulder with a small yawn. Now that he thought about it, Teddy had to admit that she looked somewhat drained. He didn't like to think about why, though. He was so very glad that his father had chosen to skip that particular episode.

"Well I...I had an idea..." Younger Tonks informed her husband slowly, shyly even, her lip caught between her teeth.

"Let's hear it then." Younger Remus suggested, arm shifting to wrap around her shoulders encouragingly.

Younger Tonks was silent for a good few minutes. Younger Remus gave her shoulder a squeeze, prompting her to ask:

"What if you don't like it?"

"Why wouldn't I like it?"

"I don't know."

"Well I'm sure I'll like it very much."

"How'd you know?"

Younger Remus paused before answering in order to watch the baby's thin whisps of hair shift from brown to a violent shade of green.

"Because you like your own name about as much as nifflers like chocolate galleons. You wouldn't dream of choosing a bad name."

Younger Tonks gave tired snigger.

"What if I want to name him after one of the Weird Sisters?" she tested, amused by his visible grimace.

"You can name him after all of the Weird Sisters if that's what you want." he graciously promised through clenched teeth.

"And you'd like that, would you?"

"Of course I would. After all there are six of them..."

"Eight, actually."

"...eight of them. I'm bound to like at least one of their names."

Younger Tonks shook with quiet laughter, careful not to disturb the now sleeping baby in her arms. There was silence for a long minute as both parents returned to staring in wonder at the child, before she said:

"I don't want to name him after the Weird Sisters."

"Thank Merlin." Younger Remus breathed, taking a turn to chuckle, but Younger Tonks did not join in. Her expression was suddenly very serious. Younger Remus' laughter halted abruptly.

"What would you like to call him, then?" he asked, mimicking her serious expression.

There was a sizable pause before she answered and when she did so her voice was little more than a strained whisper.

"I...I want to name him after Dad. And then I want to name him after you."

Younger Remus' hold upon her tightened considerably and she pursed her lips together against the tears that had suddenly gathered in her eyes.

"Then that is what we shall do." he told her, other hand reaching to smooth her hair soothingly.

"You like it...?"

"Absolutely. It's a wonderful idea."

"Dad would've liked it."

"I'm sure he would have loved it."

The happy atmosphere had faltered somewhat and Teddy felt a lump in his throat as he recalled that his grandfather had not been dead long before he was born.

The two new parents were silent for a long few minutes as she allowed him to hold her tightly to him, silent comfort for her pain, before she managed to compose herself again and asked:

"What are you thinking?"

Teddy finally took a few steps forward in order to study Younger Remus' face. The werewolf's eyes were focused entirely upon the sleeping baby, once again somewhat glazed as if he were in awe of what he saw, as if it were difficult to take everything in. Teddy wondered if there were any doubts lingering in those eyes, any regrets, but quite slowly a broad smile spread across Younger Remus' face and he drew in a deep excited breath.

"He's really here." he breathed, causing Younger Tonks to smile again, her eyes drifting shut as she fought to stay awake. "He's really here, he's ours...oh Dora, just wait until I tell the others! Wait until they see how perfect he is! He's absolutely wonderful!"

"Teddy Remus Lupin." Younger Tonks said slowly, as if testing the name out. "Yep, definitely perfect..." she trailed off with another yawn and as Younger Remus continued to beam down at his newborn son, she drifted off to sleep.

"Just you wait, Teddy," Younger Remus whispered a few minutes later, reaching to brush a gentle finger against the baby's rosy cheek. "You're going to grow up and be the best little boy anyone could ever wish for. You're going to make us so proud." he carefully caressed the whisps of turquoise hair. "I'll never stop fighting this war for you two." he declared in a fervent whisper. "And I am going to love you until the ends of the Earth."

And there it was, Teddy suddenly realised. There was the proof. The thing he'd been so desperate to hear. As the memory dissolved and he felt the hard floor of the Defense office materialize underneath his feet, Teddy Remus Lupin let out a relieved breath. He blinked several times, taking in his new surroundings, his gaze coming to rest upon his parents stood just in front of him.

Teddy beamed at his father, and his father smiled back.

Finish.


End file.
